inviolable

Also found in: Thesaurus, Legal, Wikipedia.

in·vi·o·la·ble

(ĭn-vī′ə-lə-bəl)

adj.

1. Secure from violation or profanation: an inviolable reliquary deep beneath the altar.

2. Impregnable to assault or trespass; invincible: fortifications that made the frontier inviolable.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin inviolābilis : in-, not; see in-¹ + violāre, to violate; see violate.]

in·vi′o·la·bil′i·ty, in·vi′o·la·ble·ness n.

in·vi′o·la·bly adv.

inviolable

(ɪnˈvaɪələbəl)

adj

that must not or cannot be transgressed, dishonoured, or broken; to be kept sacred: an inviolable oath.

inˌviolaˈbility, inˈviolableness n

inˈviolably adv

in•vi•o•la•ble

(ɪnˈvaɪ ə lə bəl)

adj.

1. prohibiting violation; secure from destruction, violence, infringement, or desecration: an inviolable sanctuary.

2. incapable of being violated; unassailable.

[1400–50; late Middle English < Latin]

in•vi`o•la•bil′i•ty, n.

in•vi′o•la•bly, adv.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Adj.	1.	inviolable - incapable of being transgressed or dishonored; "the person of the king is inviolable"; "an inviolable oath" violable - capable of being violated; "a violable rule"; "a violable contract"
	2.	inviolable - immune to attack; incapable of being tampered with; "an impregnable fortress"; "fortifications that made the frontier inviolable"; "a secure telephone connection" impregnable, unassailable, unattackable, secure, strong invulnerable - immune to attack; impregnable; "gunners raked the beach from invulnerable positions on the cliffs"
	3.	inviolable - must be kept sacred sacrosanct, inviolate sacred - concerned with religion or religious purposes; "sacred texts"; "sacred rites"; "sacred music"
	4.	inviolable - not capable of being violated or infringed; "infrangible human rights" infrangible, absolute inalienable, unalienable - incapable of being repudiated or transferred to another; "endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights"

inviolable

adjective sacrosanct, sacred, hallowed, holy, inalienable, unalterable The game had a single inviolable rule

inviolable

adjective

Protected from violation or abuse by custom, law, or feelings of reverence:

sacred, sacrosanct.

Translations

intangible

inviolabile

inviolable

[ɪnˈvaɪələbl] ADJ → inviolable

inviolable

[ɪnˈvaɪələb^əl] adj

[law, principle] → inviolable

[border] → inviolable

inviolable

adj → unantastbar; frontiers also → unverletzlich; law, oath → heilig

inviolable

[ɪnˈvaɪələbl] adj (frm) → inviolabile

References in classic literature ?

The person of the king of Great Britain is sacred and inviolable; there is no constitutional tribunal to which he is amenable; no punishment to which he can be subjected without involving the crisis of a national revolution.

View in context

The beauty of the island is unveiled as diminishing distance shows you in distincter shape its lovely peaks, but it keeps its secret as you sail by, and, darkly inviolable, seems to fold itself together in a stony, inaccessible grimness.

View in context

"No, put up your swords--a prince's word is inviolable."

View in context

In this strait it occurred to me that these people, however barbarous, have some oath which they keep with an inviolable strictness; the best precaution, therefore, that I could use would be to bind them by this oath to be true to their engagements.

View in context

As soon as the tired chanters, who were singing the service for the twentieth time that day, began lazily and mechanically to sing: "Save from calamity Thy servants, O Mother of God," and the priest and deacon chimed in: "For to Thee under God we all flee as to an inviolable bulwark and protection," there again kindled in all those faces the same expression of consciousness of the solemnity of the impending moment that Pierre had seen on the faces at the foot of the hill at Mozhaysk and momentarily on many and many faces he had met that morning; and heads were bowed more frequently and hair tossed back, and sighs and the sound men made as they crossed themselves were heard.

View in context

She had preserved the most inviolable duty to him in all things; and this her love made not only easy, but so delightful, that when one of her companions laughed at her for placing so much merit in such scrupulous obedience, as that young lady called it, Sophia answered, "You mistake me, madam, if you think I value myself upon this account; for besides that I am barely discharging my duty, I am likewise pleasing myself.

View in context

"The first is that in a friendly way, and of course under the inviolable law of secrecy, you explain to me for what part Lucille is cast in this little comedy; the next that I be allowed to see her at reasonable intervals, and finally that she is known by her rightful name as Duchesse de Souspennier."

View in context

Among the difficulties encountered by the convention, a very important one must have lain in combining the requisite stability and energy in government, with the inviolable attention due to liberty and to the republican form.

View in context

Were his house a den of thieves, were Vaux a cave of coiners or robbers, his home is sacred, his palace is inviolable, since his wife is living in it; and that is an asylum which even executioners would not dare to violate.'"

View in context

If she respected the case as inviolable, the Germans would certainly not hesitate to examine it, and the Germans would hardly trouble themselves to write to England.

View in context

By these means he in time reached the door, where he gave a great cough to attract the dwarf's attention and gain an opportunity of expressing in dumb show, the closest confidence and most inviolable secrecy.

View in context

Nothing was more remarkable than the instinct, as it seemed, with which the child comprehended her loneliness: the destiny that had drawn an inviolable circle round about her: the whole peculiarity, in short, of her position in respect to other children.