inexorable
adjective
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The Latin antecedent of inexorable is inexorabilis, which is itself a combination of the prefix in-, meaning "not," plus exorabilis, meaning "pliant" or "capable of being moved by entreaty." It's a fitting etymology for inexorable. You can beseech and implore until you're blue in the face, but that won't have any effect on something that's inexorable. Inexorable has been a part of the English language since the 1500s. Originally, it was often applied to people or sometimes to personified things, as in "deaf and inexorable laws." These days, it is usually applied to things, as in "inexorable monotony" or "an inexorable trend." In such cases, it essentially means "unyielding" or "inflexible."
Examples of inexorable in a Sentence
Christopher S. Chivvis, Foreign Affairs, 18 Mar. 2025
For most professionals, email has turned into an inexorable tide — unrelenting, constantly requiring attention.
—Tor Constantino, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2025
In Russia, state power and high culture have long existed in a pained, but seemingly inexorable, symbiosis.
—Joshua Yaffa, The New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2025
There may not be a decisive break but a steady, inexorable erosion of support.
—Jeffrey Gettleman, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inexorable
Cite this Entry
“Inexorable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inexorable. Accessed 18 Apr. 2025.
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inexorable
adjective
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