inalienable
in-AY-lee-uh-nuh-buhl
/ɪnˈeɪ.li.ə.nə.bəl/
Not subject to being taken away from or given away by the possessor.
Refers to fundamental rights that belong inherently to a human being and cannot be transferred or surrendered.
The story behind the word. In Roman property law, 'alienare' meant to sell or pass legal ownership of land or goods to another person. Seventeenth-century philosophers like John Locke added 'in-' to assert that fundamental human rights are so intrinsic that a person cannot sell or lose them even if they wanted to.
Word relationships
- indivisible: Indivisible means cannot be divided into parts, while inalienable means cannot be removed or surrendered.
- transferable: Transferable property can be sold or given away, whereas inalienable rights stay with the individual permanently.
Commonly confused with
- unalienable: Unalienable is an older spelling variant made famous by Thomas Jefferson; both mean identical things.
Collocations
- inalienable rights
- inalienable dignity
- inalienable possession
Example sentences
- "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." American History
Memory hook
Rights that are IN-ALIEN-ABLE cannot be taken by an ALIEN or stranger. Cannot be taken away.
When not to use
Avoid applying to temporary legal rights like driver's licenses or commercial permits, which can be revoked.
Fun facts
- Thomas Jefferson wrote 'unalienable' in the Declaration draft, but 'inalienable' is preferred in modern legal English.
Explore more words
irrevocable, immutable, sacrosanct, incorruptible, indelible, usurp
Take your vocabulary further with LangBlitz
Our English vocabulary app: FSRS spaced repetition, 5,000+ curated words across 119 topic groups, CEFR A1 to C2. Explore your mastery with the beautiful Vocabulary World feature.