US /ɪnˈɛksɚəb(ə)l/ UK /ɪnˈɛksɔɹəbəl/
adj Freq #48115

Meanings

  1. 1
    adj

    Impossible to stop or prevent; certain to happen.

    The inexorable rise of online shopping has closed many local stores.

  2. 2
    adj

    Impossible to persuade or move by pleading; unrelenting.

    The judge was inexorable and refused to reduce the sentence.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
1 adj · impossible to stop or... inevitableunstoppablerelentless
2 adj · impossible to persuade or... adamantimplacableunrelenting
Word family
Derived forms inexorabilityinexorablenessinexorably
Related forms exorabilityexorableexorableness

Etymology

From Middle French inexorable, from Latin inexōrābilis (“relentless, inexorable”) (or directly from the Latin word), from in- (prefix meaning ‘not’) + exōrābilis (“that may be moved or persuaded by entreaty; exorable”). Exōrābilis is derived from exōrāre (from exōrō (“to persuade, win over; to beg, entreat, plead”), from ex- (prefix meaning ‘out of’) + ōrō (“to beg, entreat, plead, pray; to deliver a speech, orate”), from ōs (“mouth”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃éh₁os (“mouth”)) + -bilis (suffix forming adjectives indicating a capacity or worth of being acted upon). By surface analysis, in- +…

View etymology graph ->

Topics

markdown

Send feedback

Optional — only if you'd like a reply.