inimitable
adjective
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How Should You Use inimitable?
Something that is inimitable is, literally, not able to be imitated. In actual usage the word describes things so uniquely extraordinary as to not be copied or equaled, which is why you often hear it used to praise outstanding talents or performances. (The antonym imitable describes things that are common or ordinary and could easily be replicated or surpassed.) Inimitable derives via Middle English from Latin inimitabilis. Be careful not to confuse it with inimical or inimicable, two adjectives meaning "hostile" or "harmful"; those words derive from the same Latin root that gave English enemy—inimīcus.
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Examples of inimitable in a Sentence
Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 15 July 2024
Over the course of hip-hop’s half-century and counting, few rappers have proven as unique, prolific and consistent as the inimitable Kool Keith.
—Jonathan Rowe, SPIN, 11 July 2024
Trump needs to do something similar in his convention address in Milwaukee — in his own, inimitable way.
—Marc A. Thiessen, Washington Post, 11 July 2024
In these twenty-four essays, Acocella, a much loved staff writer from 1995 until her death, earlier this year, brings her inimitable verve to subjects as varied as Andy Warhol, swearing, the destruction of Pompeii, and Elena Ferrante.
—The New Yorker, 12 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for inimitable 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'inimitable.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Inimitable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inimitable. Accessed 27 Jul. 2024.
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inimitable
adjective
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