Word of the Day

: May 10, 2020

indomitable

adjective in-DAH-muh-tuh-bul

What It Means

: incapable of being subdued : unconquerable

indomitable in Context

"'An American in Paris' is the new Tony Award-winning musical about an American soldier, a mysterious French girl and an indomitable European city, each yearning for a new beginning in the aftermath of war." — The Richmond County (North Carolina) Daily Journal, 31 Mar. 2020

"I'm encouraged by the indomitable human spirit—the capacity to innovate out of necessity and for the greater good, and the capacity to adapt." — Karen Natzel, The Daily Journal of Commerce (Portland, Oregon), 24 Mar. 2020

Did You Know?

The prefix in- means "not" in numerous English words (think of indecent, indecisive, inconvenient, and infallible). When in- teamed up with the Latin domitare ("to tame"), the result was a word meaning "unable to be tamed." Indomitable was first used in English in the 1600s as a synonym of wild, but over time the wildness associated with indomitable developed into a specific kind of strength. By the 1800s, indomitable was being used for people whose courage and persistence helped them to succeed in difficult situations.