untouchable

[ uhn-tuhch-uh-buhl ]

adjective

1. that may not be touched; of a nature such that it cannot be touched; not palpable; intangible.
2. too distant to be touched.
3. vile or loathsome to the touch.
4. beyond criticism, control, or suspicion:

   Modern writers consider no subject untouchable.

noun

1. Hinduism. the former name given to a member of the lowest castes in India whose touch was believed to defile a high-caste Hindu. Compare Scheduled Caste ( def ).
2. a person who is beyond reproach as to honesty, diligence, etc.
3. a person disregarded or shunned by society or a particular group; social outcast:

   political untouchables.

4. a person or thing considered inviolable or beyond criticism:

   such untouchables as Social Security in the federal budget.

untouchable

/ ʌnˈtʌtʃəbəl /

adjective

1. lying beyond reach
2. above reproach, suspicion, or impeachment
3. unable to be touched

noun

1. See Dalit
   taboo.
   a former name for Dalit

Usage

In relation to the caste system, the term untouchable is banned in both the Indian and Pakistani constitutions

Derived Forms

• unˌtouchaˈbility, noun

Other Words From

• un·touch·a·bly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of untouchable¹

First recorded in 1560–70; un- ¹ + touchable

Example Sentences

Today, Ma is no longer in public view and China is in the middle of a multi-pronged, regulatory crackdown on its previously untouchable tech giants.

From Time

That engine is driven not by fate or by untouchable phenomena such as demographics but most importantly by policy decisions.

From ProPublica

Unfortunately, the biggest problems are often embedded in politically untouchable programs, popular initiatives or sprawling dilemmas, such as the drug-abuse epidemic in this country.

From Time

After the 2019 NFL trade deadline passed, New York Jets General Manager Joe Douglas said he considered Sam Darnold a franchise quarterback, which in turn made Darnold “untouchable” for other teams.

From Washington Post

When we put people on pedestals we put them above the fray in a way that makes them untouchable.

From Time

Beyoncé has, for close to a decade now, been a deity in entertainment: untouchable, successful, divine.

From The Daily Beast

“Most of them have fathers who are untouchable,” Sara, an IT consultant in Tehran, told the Times.

From The Daily Beast

Blackwater operated during the Iraq war with a sense that they were untouchable because—well, because they were.

From The Daily Beast

For Lewinsky, it was not so much untouchable as inescapable.

From The Daily Beast

That is a testament to how untouchable the scandal is—at least for Clinton.

From The Daily Beast

So meticulous, so spotless, so untouchable are they that the soul of the seeker nearly sickens for want of spice and flavor.

From Project Gutenberg

An aura of coldness and power emanated from him—a sense of untouchable hauteur.

From Project Gutenberg

Each song had its own peculiarity and sentiment to touch the public pulse, which so far has been untouchable.

From Project Gutenberg

It stood, white in the floodlights, beautiful and untouchable in the darkness.

From Project Gutenberg

It is slopping and burning and putting away with a rinse, that makes kettles and spiders untouchable.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• imperceptible
• invulnerable
• sacrosanct