Dictionary

implacable en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /ɪmˈplækəb(ə)l/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ɪmˈplækəbəl/ (General-American)
• /-ˈpleɪ-/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (US) audio
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From Middle English implācāble (“immitigable, unappeasable”) from Old French implacable (“harsh, unrelenting; implacable”) (modern French implacable), from Latin implācābilis (“unappeasable, implacable; irreconcilable”), from im- (variant of in- (prefix meaning ‘not’)) + plācābilis (“placable; appeasing, moderating, pacifying, propitiating; acceptable”) (from plācō (“to assuage, pacify, placate; to appease; to reconcile”) + -bilis (suffix forming adjectives indicating a capacity or worth of being acted upon)).

Meanings

1. Not able to be placated or appeased.
   • [I]n the reign of Henry the Second, a body happening, by chance, to be dug up near Glastonbury Abbey, without any symptoms of putrefaction or decay, the Welch, the descendants of the Ancient Britons, tenacious of the dignity and reputation of that illustrious hero [King Arthur], vainly supposed it could be no other than the body of their justly-boasted Pen-Dragon; and that he had been immured in that sepulchre by the spells of some powerful and implacable inchanter. 1810, J[ohn] Stagg, “Arthur’s Cave. A Legendary Tale.”, in The Minstrel of the North: Or, Cumbrian Legends. […], London: Printed by Hamblin and Seyfang, […], for the author, and sold by J. Blacklock, […], →OCLC, page 105:
   • He is knight dubb'd with vnhatche'd Rapier, and on carpet conſideration, but he is a diuell in priuate brall, soules and bodies hath he diuorc'd three, and his incenſement at this moment is ſo implacable, that ſatisfaction can be none, but by pangs of death and ſepulcher: Hob, nob, is his word: giu't or take't. c. 1601–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Twelfe Night, or What You Will”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iv], page 269:
2. Impossible to prevent or stop; inexorable, unrelenting, unstoppable.
   • The battleships Washington and South Dakota pushed through the sea with an implacable ease. 2011, James D. Hornfischer, “The Giants Ride”, in Neptune’s Inferno: The U.S. Navy at Guadalcanal, New York, N.Y.: Bantam Books, →ISBN; trade paperback edition, New York, N.Y.: Bantam Books, 2012, →ISBN, page 345:
3. Adamant; immovable.
   • Indeed Cain hated his Brother, becauſe his own works were evil, and his Brothers righteous; and if thy Wife and Children have been offended with thee for this, they thereby ſhew themſelves to be implacable to good; and thou haſt delivered thy ſoul from their blood. 1678, John Bunyan, The Pilgrim’s Progress from This World, to That which is to Come: […], London: […] Nath[aniel] Ponder […], →OCLC; reprinted in The Pilgrim’s Progress (The Noel Douglas Replicas), London, (Please provide a date or year), page 84:

Forms

Antonyms

appeasable · pacable · pacifiable · assuageable · placable

Deriveds

implacability · implacably · implacableness

Relateds

placableness · placable · placability · placably · unplacable

Synonyms

unpleasable · unassuageable · relentless · unremitting · unplacable · impacable · irreconcilable · unyielding

Translations (65)

uk непримири́мий (not able to be placated or appeased) · ro nemișcabil (adamant; immovable — see also adamant, immovable) · el αδυσώπητος (impossible to prevent or stop — see also inexorable, unstoppable) · ro implacabil (not able to be placated or appeased) · ru непримири́мый (not able to be placated or appeased) · fa رام نشدنی (not able to be placated or appeased) · nl onverzoenlijk (not able to be placated or appeased) · es tenaz (adamant; immovable — see also adamant, immovable) · ru неумоли́мый (not able to be placated or appeased) · sv enveten (adamant; immovable — see also adamant, immovable) · bg жесток (impossible to prevent or stop — see also inexorable, unstoppable) · el αδυσώπητη (impossible to prevent or stop — see also inexorable, unstoppable) · hu engesztelhetetlen (not able to be placated or appeased) · fr implacable (impossible to prevent or stop — see also inexorable, unstoppable) · tr yatıştırılamaz (not able to be placated or appeased) · es implacable (adamant; immovable — see also adamant, immovable) · ga doshásta (not able to be placated or appeased) · el αμείλικτος (not able to be placated or appeased) · la implācābile (not able to be placated or appeased) · uk непримире́нний (not able to be placated or appeased) · ru непрекло́нный (adamant; immovable — see also adamant, immovable) · la implācābilis (not able to be placated or appeased) · enm implācāble (not able to be placated or appeased) · gv neuveeinagh (not able to be placated or appeased) · it implacabile (impossible to prevent or stop — see also inexorable, unstoppable) · el ανευμενίσιμη (not able to be placated or appeased) · cs nesmiřitelný (not able to be placated or appeased) · da stædig (adamant; immovable — see also adamant, immovable) · ru несдвига́емый (adamant; immovable — see also adamant, immovable) · it implacabile (not able to be placated or appeased) · ro nemișcat (adamant; immovable — see also adamant, immovable) · uk невблаганний (impossible to prevent or stop — see also inexorable, unstoppable) · ka შეუბრალებელი (impossible to prevent or stop — see also inexorable, unstoppable) · ro ferm (adamant; immovable — see also adamant, immovable) · de unerbittlich (adamant; immovable — see also adamant, immovable) · el ανευμενίσιμος (not able to be placated or appeased) · hu kérlelhetetlen (adamant; immovable — see also adamant, immovable) · ka შეუბრალებელი (not able to be placated or appeased) · cs neutišitelný (not able to be placated or appeased) · got 𐌿𐌽𐌷𐌿𐌽𐍃𐌻𐌰𐌲𐍃 (not able to be placated or appeased) · ro de neclintit (adamant; immovable — see also adamant, immovable) · ro imobil (adamant; immovable — see also adamant, immovable) · fi leppymätön (not able to be placated or appeased) · grc ἄσπονδος (not able to be placated or appeased) · grc ἄθελκτος (not able to be placated or appeased) · pl nieubłagany (not able to be placated or appeased) · gv neuveeinagh (impossible to prevent or stop — see also inexorable, unstoppable) · fr irréductible (impossible to prevent or stop — see also inexorable, unstoppable) · ca implacable (not able to be placated or appeased) · de unversöhnlich (not able to be placated or appeased) · az barışmaz (not able to be placated or appeased) · el αδυσώπητος (not able to be placated or appeased) · no uforsonlig (not able to be placated or appeased) · fa آشتی ناپذیر (not able to be placated or appeased) · bg неумолим (not able to be placated or appeased) · uk непримире́нний (impossible to prevent or stop — see also inexorable, unstoppable) · el ανευμενίσιμο (not able to be placated or appeased) · ru закля́тый (not able to be placated or appeased) · es implacable (not able to be placated or appeased) · ru неумолимый (impossible to prevent or stop — see also inexorable, unstoppable) · bg непреклонен (adamant; immovable — see also adamant, immovable) · cs neuklidnitelný (not able to be placated or appeased) · es implacable (impossible to prevent or stop — see also inexorable, unstoppable) · mi kaikiko (not able to be placated or appeased) · pt implacável (not able to be placated or appeased)