inexorable
adjective
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The Latin antecedent of inexorable is inexorabilis, which is itself a combination of the prefix in-, meaning "not," plus exorabilis, meaning "pliant" or "capable of being moved by entreaty." It's a fitting etymology for inexorable. You can beseech and implore until you're blue in the face, but that won't have any effect on something that's inexorable. Inexorable has been a part of the English language since the 1500s. Originally, it was often applied to people or sometimes to personified things, as in "deaf and inexorable laws." These days, it is usually applied to things, as in "inexorable monotony" or "an inexorable trend." In such cases, it essentially means "unyielding" or "inflexible."
Examples of inexorable in a Sentence
Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2025
The negatives are the calendar, with the April 1 statutory date deadline being blown by a full month, and the inexorable growth in spending.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 30 Apr. 2025
The weight, the pressure, the slow, inexorable pull of gravity all heighten every touch, intensify every moment, and remind you exactly who’s in charge.
—Colin Bedell, Them, 12 Feb. 2025
Instead of treating China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia as an inexorable bloc, the United States and its allies should work to loosen their ties by exploiting the fissures that the war in Ukraine has concealed.
—Christopher S. Chivvis, Foreign Affairs, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inexorable
Cite this Entry
“Inexorable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inexorable. Accessed 21 May. 2025.
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inexorable
adjective
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