untouchable


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un·touch·a·ble

 (ŭn-tŭch′ə-bəl)
adj.
1.
a. Not permitted to be touched: an untouchable idol.
b. Not capable of being touched or reached: an untouchable tennis serve.
2.
a. Not permitted to be discussed: an untouchable subject.
b. Not subject or susceptible to criticism, rebuke, or attack: an appointee who was untouchable because of his political connections.
c. Not capable of being affected, especially adversely: bacteria that are untouchable by an antibiotic.
d. Not permitted to be altered: an untouchable religious text.
e. Not capable of being rivaled or surpassed: an untouchable skier.
f. Baseball Not giving up any hits. Used of a pitcher.
3. Often Offensive Relating to or being the Dalit class in traditional Indian society.
n. often Untouchable
Often Offensive A Dalit.
un·touch′a·bil′i·ty n.
un·touch′a·bly adv.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

untouchable

(ʌnˈtʌtʃəbəl)
adj
1. lying beyond reach
2. above reproach, suspicion, or impeachment
3. unable to be touched
n
(Hinduism) taboo a former name for Dalit
unˌtouchaˈbility n
Usage: In relation to the caste system, the term untouchable is banned in both the Indian and Pakistani constitutions
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

un•touch•a•ble

(ʌnˈtʌtʃ ə bəl)

adj.
1. that may not be touched; not palpable; intangible.
2. too distant to be touched.
3. vile or loathsome to the touch.
4. beyond criticism, control, or suspicion.
n.
5. a member of a lower caste in India whose touch was formerly believed to defile a high-caste Hindu.
6. a person disregarded or shunned by society or a particular group; social outcast.
7. a person or thing considered inviolable or beyond criticism.
[1560–70]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.untouchable - belongs to lowest social and ritual class in India
Harijan
castaway, outcast, pariah, Ishmael - a person who is rejected (from society or home)
Adj.1.untouchable - beyond the reach of criticism or attack or impeachmentuntouchable - beyond the reach of criticism or attack or impeachment; "for the first time criticism was directed at a hitherto untouchable target"- Newsweek
invulnerable - immune to attack; impregnable; "gunners raked the beach from invulnerable positions on the cliffs"
2.untouchable - impossible to assailuntouchable - impossible to assail      
unassailable
inviolable - incapable of being transgressed or dishonored; "the person of the king is inviolable"; "an inviolable oath"
3.untouchable - forbidden to the touchuntouchable - forbidden to the touch; "in most museums such articles are untouchable"
impermissible - not permitted; "impermissible behavior"
4.untouchable - ( especially used in traditional Hindu belief of the lowest caste or castes) defiling
unclean, impure - having a physical or moral blemish so as to make impure according to dietary or ceremonial laws; "unclean meat"; "and the swine...is unclean to you"-Leviticus 11:3
5.untouchable - not capable of being obtaineduntouchable - not capable of being obtained; "a rare work, today almost inaccessible"; "timber is virtually unobtainable in the islands"; "untouchable resources buried deep within the earth"
unobtainable, unprocurable, inaccessible
unavailable - not available or accessible or at hand; "fresh milk was unavailable during the emergency"; "his secretary said he was unavailable for comment"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations

untouchable

[ʌnˈtʌtʃəbl]
A. ADJ → intocable
B. N → intocable mf
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

untouchable

[ʌnˈtʌtʃəbəl]
adj
(= unlikely to be punished) → intouchable
(= unbeatable) [sports player] → imbattable; [entertainer] → inégalable
n (in India) → intouchable mf
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

untouchable

adj
→ unberührbar
(= immune) person, rights → unantastbar
(= supreme) → unantastbar
n → Unberührbare(r) mf
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

untouchable

[ʌnˈtʌtʃəbl]
1. n (in India) → paria m inv, intoccabile m/f
2. adj → intoccabile
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
Mentioned in ?
References in classic literature ?
And though now nailed amidst all the rustiness of iron bolts and the verdigris of copper spikes, yet, untouchable and immaculate to any foulness, it still preserved its Quito glow.
View in context
Christian and Muslim Dalits, those with family roots in the untouchable castes, have been excluded from the privileges on the grounds that these religions do not have castes.
Dalits get their day in court
Artifacts like Wodiczko's Homeless Vehicle were laid out on black tiles, decontextualized and untouchable, transformed into static museum art.
"The Interventionists: Art in the Social Sphere"; Mass Moca
In addition, a few pioneering tenants have brought retail to areas of Manhattan previously considered untouchable.
Consolo hopeful for future
According to the court, "Government does not have to treat religion like an untouchable pariah in order to avoid state entanglement with religion in violation of the Establishment Clause." (Michigan Department of Corrections)
Johnson v. Martin
Such busts mark President Vicente Fox's radical new approach for dealing with the country's biggest tax evaders, many of whom seemed untouchable. So far this year, the AFI has picked up more than two dozen businessme n, although Treasury Ministry officials decline to say how much in back taxes will be recouped.
Taxing problems. (Trade Talk)
The men who operated the gun trucks usually painted nicknames such as "The Untouchable", "Satisfaction", "Outlaw", and "Pandemonium" on the sides of the vehicles (see photographs in this essay taken during the war).
Genuine examples of American Ingenuity. (Gun Trucks)
Discussion follows the division of labour by gender and caste and contributions made by untouchable women to subsistence, family farm production and wage-income work (p.87).
Cameroon, Mary M. 1998. On the Edge of the Auspicious Gender and Caste in Nepal
Untouchable Freedom: A Social History of a Dalit Community.
Untouchable Freedom: A Social History of a Dalit Community. (Reviews)
EVER SINCE HE GOT TOUGH ON OSAMA, PRESIDENT bush is UNTOUCHABLE!
Troubletown
On the other hand the authors also find various forms of discrimination are still practiced in rural areas and in personal relationships, and that untouchable attempts to claim basic rights have set off a backlash of violence across rural India.
Oliver Mendelsohn and Marika Vicziany
The Untouchable, his most recent novel, is another "antibiography." He uses the story of Blunt, the British art historian and Russian mole, to develop his own obsessive search for truth.
The Untouchable

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