What does inalienable mean?
Inalienable is an adjective describing something that cannot be transferred, surrendered, taken away, or validly revoked. Its best-known use is in the phrase “inalienable rights,” especially in political, legal, and philosophical discussions of human rights and constitutional freedoms. The word can also apply to possessions, powers, or principles that are permanently attached to someone or something. Its force is stronger than that of words such as difficult or unlikely to lose: it presents the thing as being beyond legitimate removal rather than merely safe in practice. Inalienable is used in both British and American English and has a formal, emphatic register. In debates about law and human rights, it signals that a right must be treated as belonging intrinsically to the person or group protected by it, regardless of the wishes of authorities or other parties.
adjectiveInalienable means incapable of being transferred, surrendered, or taken away; it is especially used to describe rights, freedoms, or possessions that must remain with a particular person, group, or institution.
- Incapable of being transferred, surrendered, or taken away, especially of a right, freedom, or possession.
- Formally fixed and beyond legitimate alteration or revocation, as in inalienable constitutional principles.
"The constitution protects certain inalienable rights that cannot be surrendered by the government."
"Courts described the defendant's freedom of movement as an inalienable right during the proceedings."
"The organisation argued that access to clean water was an inalienable human right."
Inalienable means that even the strongest authority cannot lawfully take it away: the right to remain yours is built into the word itself.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does inalienable come from?
Inalienable was formed in the early 19th century by adding the Latin-derived negative prefix in- to alienable, with the sense “not able to be transferred or given away.” Alienable itself comes from Latin alienare, “to make alien or transfer to another,” and ultimately from alienus, meaning “foreign” or “belonging to another.” Related English words include alien, alienate, and alienation, all reflecting the same Latin root and the idea of something being made or belonging to another.
Related word forms
How inalienable is actually used
The word has a formal and legal tone and is most common in discussion of rights, freedoms, constitutional principles, ownership, and possessions. Inalienable rights should not be confused with rights that are practically difficult to remove; the term asserts that they cannot validly be transferred or revoked.
Easily confused with inalienable
Alienable describes something that can be transferred or given away, whereas inalienable describes something that cannot be taken away or surrendered.