inviolable
adjective
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Inviolable is a venerable word that has been with us since the 15th century. Its opposite, violable ("capable of being or likely to be violated"), appeared in the following century. The 17th century English playwright Shackerley Marmion made good use of violable in A Fine Companion, writing, "Alas, my heart is Tender and violable with the least weapon Sorrow can dart at me." But English speakers have never warmed up to that word the way we have to inviolable, and it continues to be used much less frequently. Both terms descend from the Latin verb violare, which both shares the meaning with, and is an ancestor of, the English word violate.
Examples of inviolable in a Sentence
Emmett Coyne, The Hill, 23 May 2025
France and Germany have responded with a seriousness typically reserved for Russia and China, emphasizing the importance of maintaining Europe’s borders as inviolable.
—Anna Mulrine Grobe, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Jan. 2025
Although today’s order appears to be stronger and more resilient than its 1930s counterpart, in recent years, norms that were long considered inviolable have been flouted.
—Margaret MacMillan, Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025
To justify limiting or blocking aid, China and Russia argue that sovereignty is inviolable even when oppressive regimes are conducting siege warfare against their own people.
—Natasha Hall, Foreign Affairs, 9 Jan. 2023
See All Example Sentences for inviolable
Cite this Entry
“Inviolable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inviolable. Accessed 13 Jul. 2025.
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inviolable
adjective
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