inimitable
adjective
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How Should You Use inimitable?
Something that is inimitable is, literally, not able to be imitated. In actual usage the word describes things so uniquely extraordinary as to not be copied or equaled, which is why you often hear it used to praise outstanding talents or performances (or uniquely talented and incomparable individuals). (The less common antonym imitable describes things that are common or ordinary and could easily be replicated.) Inimitable comes, via Middle English, from the Latin adjective inimitabilis. Be careful not to confuse it with inimical or inimicable, two adjectives meaning “hostile” or “harmful”; those words come from a different Latin root.
Examples of inimitable in a Sentence
Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 11 Apr. 2025
Read his piece on the inimitable star » Hannah Jocelyn contributed to today’s edition.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 27 Feb. 2025
After all, her inimitable stage presence is going to be hard (if not impossible) to replicate.
—Christian Allaire, Vogue, 2 Apr. 2025
Classics of the 1980s and ’90s, arguably the mode’s heyday, range from the powder-pink platforming masterpiece Kirby Super Star to the inimitable beat-em-up Streets of Rage.
—Lewis Gordon, Vulture, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inimitable
Cite this Entry
“Inimitable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inimitable. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
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inimitable
adjective
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