ironclad

[ adjective ahy-ern-klad; noun ahy-ern-klad ]

adjective

1. covered or cased with iron plates, as a ship for naval warfare; armor-plated.
2. very rigid or exacting; inflexible; unbreakable:

   an ironclad contract.

noun

1. a wooden warship of the middle or late 19th century having iron or steel armor plating.

ironclad

adjective

1. covered or protected with iron

   an ironclad warship

2. inflexible; rigid

   an ironclad rule

3. not able to be assailed or contradicted

   an ironclad argument

noun

1. a large wooden 19th-century warship with armoured plating

Word History and Origins

Origin of ironclad¹

First recorded in 1850–55; iron + clad ¹

Example Sentences

That pressure is behind the chancellor's decision to flex the spending rules she used to boast about being "ironclad".

From BBC

“When I say that my support for Israel is ‘ironclad,’ I mean it,” Garcia said in a statement.

From Los Angeles Times

He knows full well that the science on climate change is as ironclad as it gets.

From Salon

My garage keys were in my apartment, and I didn’t have a way to maneuver behind the ironclad gates until my neighbor came to the rescue.

From Los Angeles Times

“Addiction is like an ironclad compulsion,” said Dr. Michael McDaniel, the medical director of Heartland House in San Diego.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• abiding
• definite
• inflexible
• unwavering