inviolability

American  

[in-vahy-uh-luh-bil-i-tee] / ɪnˌvaɪ ə ləˈbɪl ɪ ti /

Rarely inviolableness

noun

1. the fact or quality of being safe or protected from attack, infringement, destruction, or interference.

   The inviolability of diplomatic agents is one of the long and well-recognized rules of international law.

   We will continue to take efficient measures to ensure the independence and inviolability of the courts.

2. the fact or quality of being held in reverence as something that must never be violated; sacredness.

   Our constitutional structure was built upon respect for the integrity and inviolability of the individual conscience.

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Etymology

Origin of inviolability

inviol(able) ( def. ) + -ability ( def. )

Example Sentences

“Security in the Arctic must …be achieved collectively,” they wrote, “by upholding the principles of the UN Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders.”

From Salon • Jan. 7, 2026

It emphasised "the inviolability of the facilities of the Argentine diplomatic mission".

From BBC • Sep. 7, 2024

Francis updated church doctrine in 2018 to say “the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2024

“Therefore, after carrying out an examination, it concludes that life admits exceptions to its inviolability when it seeks to protect other rights.”

From Seattle Times • Feb. 7, 2024

They celebrate first of all the inviolability of the earth, and they re-enact, each time, in stereotyped choreography, our long anxiety about the nature of life.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas