inexorable

[ in-ek-ser-uh-buhl ]

adjective

1. unyielding; unalterable:

   inexorable truth;

   inexorable justice.

2. not to be persuaded, moved, or affected by prayers or entreaties:

   an inexorable creditor.

   Synonyms: pitiless, cruel, merciless, implacable, unrelenting, unbending

   Antonyms: flexible, merciful

inexorable

/ ɪnˈɛksərəbəl /

adjective

1. not able to be moved by entreaty or persuasion
2. relentless

Derived Forms

• inˈexorably, adverb
• inˌexoraˈbility, noun

Other Words From

• in·ex·o·ra·bil·i·ty [in-ek-ser-, uh, -, bil, -i-tee], in·ex·o·ra·ble·ness noun
• in·ex·o·ra·bly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of inexorable¹

From the Latin word inexōrābilis, dating back to 1545–55. See in- ³, exorable

Word History and Origins

Origin of inexorable¹

C16: from Latin inexōrābilis, from in- ¹+ exōrābilis, from exōrāre to prevail upon, from ōrāre to pray

Synonym Study

See inflexible.

Example Sentences

Some observers remain supremely confident that Washington’s world order can survive the inexorable erosion of its global power.

From Salon

He leaned on that identity — or, as he put it, “my story of the brief union between a young man from Kenya and a young woman from Kansas who … shared a belief that in America, their son could achieve whatever he put his mind to” — as a symbol of the nation’s inexorable progress.

From Los Angeles Times

Yet despite his inexorable rise, Kerr could walk down Princes Street in his hometown of Edinburgh and, probably, go largely unnoticed.

From BBC

For Riefenstahl, the career stakes are huge, but less so for American audiences in the 21st century who know that Nazi Germany is on an inexorable path to war.

From Los Angeles Times

But he said the path to war was not "inexorable" if the UK re-established credible land forces to support its strategy of deterrence to avoid war.

From BBC

Related Words

• implacable
• inescapable
• merciless
• relentless
• unrelenting