Advertisement
Advertisement
unalienable
[uhn-eyl-yuh-nuh-buhl, -ey-lee-uh-]
adjective
not transferable to another or not capable of being taken away or denied; inalienable.
The Declaration of Independence acknowledged that all humans have innate, unalienable rights.
unalienable
/ ʌˈɪəəə /
adjective
law a variant of inalienable
51Թ History and Origins
Origin of unalienable1
Example Sentences
The Saudi foreign ministry said on Saturday that it would not accept "any infringement on the Palestinians' unalienable rights, and any attempts at displacement," accusing Israel of "ethnic cleansing".
Our revolution was based on a democracy where conceptually all men are created equal and endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, including life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
“The whole idea that we are equal in the sight of God, our maker, that we have unalienable rights, all that, that is all fundamentally a Christian worldview.”
Voters fortified gun rights in 2014, approving a constitutional amendment placed on the ballot by lawmakers making the right to bear arms “unalienable” and subjecting any restrictions “to strict scrutiny.”
Max has long exhibited uncommon courage in standing up for the unalienable rights we Americans purport to uphold.
Advertisement
Related 51Թs
When To Use
Unalienable describes things, especially rights, that cannot be taken away, denied, or transferred to another person.Unalienable means the same thing as inalienable, which is now the standard term.Unalienable is no longer in common use, but it 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 unalienable right to freedom.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Browse