inalienable

adjective

in·​alien·​able (ˌ)i-ˈnāl-yə-nə-bəl How to pronounce inalienable (audio)
-ˈnā-lē-ə-nə-
: incapable of being alienated, surrendered, or transferred
inalienable rights
inalienability noun
inalienably
(ˌ)i-ˈnāl-yə-nə-blē How to pronounce inalienable (audio)
-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 alienable, an adjective describing something you can give away or transfer to another owner. The word unalienable came about as its opposite, but so did inalienable, a word most likely borrowed into English on its own from French. Inalienable is the more common form today, and although we often see both forms used to modify "rights," it was unalienable that was used in the Declaration of Independence to describe life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Examples of inalienable in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are inalienable rights granted under the Declaration of Independence. Erica Lamberg, Forbes, 29 Sep. 2024 Tired of all of Irena’s Balkans drama, Oliver bonds with Alice in a dialogue scene that’s basically about the inalienable American right to be shallow. Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 17 Sep. 2024 However objectionable the sign itself might be, those rights are inalienable. Arthur Holland Michel, WIRED, 24 July 2024 That they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit for happiness. Jamie L. Lareau, Detroit Free Press, 28 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for inalienable 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'inalienable.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

probably from French inaliénable, from in- + aliénable alienable

First Known Use

circa 1645, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of inalienable was circa 1645

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Dictionary Entries Near inalienable

Cite this Entry

“Inalienable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inalienable. Accessed 11 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

inalienable

adjective
in·​alien·​able (ˈ)in-ˈāl-yə-nə-bəl How to pronounce inalienable (audio)
-ˈā-lē-ə-nə-
: impossible to take away or give up
inalienable rights
inalienably adverb

Legal Definition

inalienable

adjective
: incapable of being alienated, surrendered, or transferred
inalienable rights
inalienably adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on inalienable

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