untouchable

noun

plural untouchables

: someone or something that is untouchable

… so Frey moved Keith Moreland from right-field to third base and benched Ron Cey temporarily, while Green threatened to trade heretofore untouchables.

—Peter Gammons

specifically, dated, offensive : a member of the lowest class in the traditional Hindu social hierarchy having in traditional Hindu belief the quality of defiling by contact a member of a higher caste : dalit

Examples of untouchable in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The untouchables Macklin Celebrini At this point, there is nothing left to say. —Eric Stephens, New York Times, 2 June 2026

Sabally wasn’t on the Liberty’s list of untouchables. —Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 3 Apr. 2026

Organizers encouraged protesters to state their untouchables in a word or two on white foam-core or poster board. —Warren Pederson, San Francisco Chronicle, 17 Jan. 2026

On Day 1 of the Winter Meetings, Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris said there were no untouchables on the roster and didn't explicitly say Skubal would remain in Detroit. —Valentina Martinez, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1909, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

untouchable

1 of 2 adjective

un·​touch·​able ˌən-ˈtəch-ə-bəl 

ˈən-

1

a

: not to be touched or handled

b

: not to be criticized or controlled

2

: lying beyond the reach

untouchable

2 of 2 noun

: one that is untouchable

especially : a member of the lowest social class in India