inalienable
adjective
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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
Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 21 June 2025
Having access to good free healthcare should be the inalienable right of everyone on the planet.
—Meg Zukin, Time, 5 May 2025
The idea that any group has an inalienable right to a specific territory is historically untenable.
—Justin Gest, Newsweek, 11 Feb. 2025
After Trump's comments, Egypt expressed its support for the legitimate and inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, calling for the need for a two-state solution and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
—Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 14 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inalienable
Cite this Entry
“Inalienable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inalienable. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.
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inalienable
adjective
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inalienable
adjective
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