immobile

adjective

im·​mo·​bile (ˌ)i(m)-ˈmō-bəl 

-ˌbī(-ə)l,

 also  -ˌbēl

1

: not moving : motionless

keep the patient immobile

2

: incapable of being moved : fixed

immobility

ˌi-(ˌ)mō-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

Synonyms

• nonmoving
• standing
• static
• stationary

Examples of immobile in a Sentence

The tranquilizer made the animal immobile.

The accident left her immobile.

Recent Examples on the Web

Officers with the Maitland Police Department found the vehicle immobile on the tracks in the suburb with a commuter train about 10 minutes away. —Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 5 Feb. 2025

After remaining immobile for over three decades, the iceberg finally broke free in 2020 and began drifting northward. —Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 28 Jan. 2025

Angela works at a strip club where women’s clothes come off not through dances but via jump cuts; their faces are expressionless and their bodies immobile, as if they’ve been reduced to deadpan pin-up poses. —Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 7 Feb. 2025

That is, if the rider is immobile for more than 15 seconds. —New Atlas, 16 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English in-mobill, from Latin immobilis, from in- + mobilis mobile

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for immobile

• ennoble
• ignoble
• coble
• dobell
• global
• lobel
• noble
• sobol

Kids Definition

immobile

adjective

im·​mo·​bile (ˈ)im-ˈ(m)ō-bəl 

-ˌbēl,

-ˌbīl

: unable to move or be moved

immobility

ˌim-(ˌ)ō-ˈbil-ət-ē 

noun

Medical Definition

immobile

adjective

im·​mo·​bile (ˈ)im-ˈ(m)ō-bəl  -ˌbēl  -ˌbīl 

1

: incapable of being moved

2

: not moving

keep the patient immobile

immobility

ˌim-(ˌ)ō-ˈbil-ət-ē 

noun

plural immobilities