inalienable

[in-eyl-yuh-nuh-buhl, -ey-lee-uh-]

adjective

1. not transferable to another or not capable of being taken away or denied; not alienable.

   inalienable rights, freedoms, and liberties; an inalienable territory; inalienable principles and values.

   Synonyms: inherent, unassailable, absolute, inviolable

inalienable

/ ɪnˈeɪljənəbəl /

adjective

1. not able to be transferred to another; not alienable

   the inalienable rights of the citizen

Other Word Forms

• inalienability noun
• inalienableness noun
• inalienably adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of inalienable¹

First recorded in 1610–20; in- ³ + alienable

Example Sentences

Sir Keir's spokesman also told reporters the Palestinian right to statehood was "inalienable", and it was a "question of when, not if" the UK will agree to recognition.

From BBC

"An inalienable right should not be made conditional," the report adds.

From BBC

Adding that Palestinians had an "inalienable right" to statehood, he added a ceasefire would "put us on a path to the recognition of a Palestinian state and a two-state solution".

From BBC

That is something that members of the present U.S. administration would do well to keep in mind: the inalienable rights they are ignoring today are ones they may come to appreciate themselves.

From Salon

The Indian ministry has said that labelling the jewels as "duplicates" is misleading and that these relics make up the "inalienable religious and cultural heritage" of India.

From BBC

When To Use

What does inalienable mean?

Inalienable describes things, especially rights, that cannot be taken away, denied, or transferred to another person.Inalienable means the same thing as unalienable, which is no longer in common use. However, unalienable is closely associated with the phrase unalienable rights due to its appearance in the U.S. Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”Thomas Jefferson actually used inalienable in early drafts of the Declaration of Independence, but the spelling was changed for the final draft. Unalienable was the preferred spelling until around the 1830s, but inalienable has completely replaced it in regular use.Alienable is a word, but it’s rarely used. It means able to be sold or transferred.Example: We work to make the founders’ words true—that everyone has the inalienable right to freedom.