inalienable
adjective
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Alien, alienable, inalienable—it's easy enough to see the Latin word alius, meaning "other," at the root of these three words. Alien joined our language in the 14th century, and one of its earliest meanings was "belonging to another." By the early 1600s that sense of alien had led to alienable, an adjective describing something you can give away or transfer to another owner. The word unalienable came about as its opposite, but so did inalienable, a word most likely borrowed into English on its own from French. Inalienable is the more common form today, and although we often see both forms used to modify "rights," it was unalienable that was used in the Declaration of Independence to describe life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Examples of inalienable in a Sentence
Justin Gest, Newsweek, 11 Feb. 2025
Israelis and Palestinians each deserve distinct, inalienable, and mutually-recognized states that coexist side-by-side in peace.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025
When asked about whether China was conducting military exercises around Taiwan, Mao Ning, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, answered on Monday that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China and Beijing will defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
—Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024
The online reaction felt uncomfortable to some bystanders given that we’re all supposed to care about human dignity — the idea that every single person has intrinsic and inalienable value.
—Aja Romano, Vox, 7 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Inalienable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inalienable. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.
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inalienable
adjective
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inalienable
adjective
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