inalienable

adjective

in·alien·able | \ (ˌ)i-ˈnāl-yə-nə-bəl ,

-ˈnā-lē-ə-nə- \

Definition of inalienable

: incapable of being alienated, surrendered, or transferred inalienable rights

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Other words from inalienable

inalienability \(ˌ)i-ˌnāl-yə-nə-ˈbi-lə-tē,

-ˌnā-lē-ə-nə- \ noun

inalienably \(ˌ)i-ˈnāl-yə-nə-blē,

-ˈnā-lē-ə-nə- \ adverb

Did You Know?

Alien, "alienable," "inalienable" - it's easy enough to see the Latin word alius, meaning "other," at the root of these three words. "Alien" joined our language in the 14th century, and one of its earliest meanings was "belonging to another." By the early 1600s that sense of "alien" had led to the development of "alienable," an adjective describing something you could give away or transfer ownership of, and "unalienable," its opposite. By about 1645, "inalienable" was also in use as a synonym of "unalienable." "Inalienable" is the more common variant today, but it was "unalienable" that was used in the Declaration of Independence to describe rights like life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Examples of inalienable in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This glorious right may not be exactly inalienable, though — especially in Half Moon Bay. — SFChronicle.com, "5 hidden beaches around Half Moon Bay," 12 July 2018 Merriam-Webster tells us, with the additional information that inalienable has become the more common form. — John E. Mcintyre, baltimoresun.com, "In a word: unalienable," 3 July 2018 Sounds like this toddler is learning about her inalienable rights early. — Sarah Schreiber, Good Housekeeping, "Officers Hilariously "Breathalyze" a Toddler Who Looked a Little Too Suspicious on the Road," 26 Oct. 2016 The Eighth is the only inalienable right the unborn have to protect them from changes in government thinking. — Ciara Nugent, Time, "Why Thousands of Irish Expats Are Flying Home to Vote in the Historic Abortion Referendum," 24 May 2018 In our system, inalienable rights — including the one to self-defense — can’t be swept away by angry crowds. — William Cummings, USA TODAY, "The Bubble: March for Our Lives protesters dismissed by conservatives," 26 Mar. 2018 The question at hand is not how to solve the 'gun problem', but how to keep our schools and all places of gathering safe, without compromising the inalienable rights all Americans share. — Mark Somerville, Anchorage Daily News, "I’m a gun owner and willing to talk about gun violence in schools. I don’t think we have a ‘gun problem.’," 12 Mar. 2018 Forty-five years ago, the Supreme Court turned its back on the inalienable right to life. — Michelle Boorstein, Washington Post, "Trump gets mixed reviews from March for Life antiabortion protesters," 6 Mar. 2018 Our Founding Fathers understood that the pursuit of happiness is right up there with life and liberty as an inalienable right. — Laura Entis, Fortune, "The Top 10 Books to Read This Fall," 10 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'inalienable.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near inalienable

in a league of one's own

in all/everything but name

Statistics for inalienable

Last Updated

21 Jul 2018

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Time Traveler for inalienable

The first known use of inalienable was circa 1645

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More Definitions for inalienable

inalienable

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of inalienable

: impossible to take away or give up

See the full definition for inalienable in the English Language Learners Dictionary

inalienable

adjective

in·alien·able | \ i-ˈnāl-yə-nə-bəl

\

Kids Definition of inalienable

: impossible to take away or give up Our citizens have certain inalienable rights.

inalienable

adjective

in·alien·able | \ in-ˈāl-yə-nə-bəl, -ˈā-lē-ə-

\

Legal Definition of inalienable

: incapable of being alienated, surrendered, or transferred inalienable rights

Other words from inalienable

inalienability \-ˌāl-yə-nə-ˈbi-lə-tē, -ˌā-lē-ə-

\ noun

inalienably adverb

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