implacable
adjective
-ˈplā-
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Implacable is rooted in Latin placare, meaning "to soothe," but its im- prefix is a variant of the negating prefix in- (as in inactive) and it signals that there’s nothing warm and fuzzy here. Someone or something described as implacable cannot be soothed, which usually means trouble: implacable is most often attached to words like foe, enemy, hatred and hostility. The opposite of implacable is, of course, placable; it means "easily soothed," but sadly isn’t called upon very often. Another placare word is likely more familiar. Placate means "to soothe or appease"; it’s frequently applied when an angry person is made to feel less so.
Synonyms
- adamant
- adamantine
- bullheaded
- dogged
- hard
- hard-nosed
- hardened
- hardheaded
- headstrong
- immovable
- inconvincible
- inflexible
- intransigent
- mulish
- obdurate
- obstinate
- opinionated
- ossified
- pat
- pertinacious
- perverse
- pigheaded
- self-opinionated
- self-willed
- stiff-necked
- stubborn
- unbending
- uncompromising
- unrelenting
- unyielding
- willful
- wilful
Examples of implacable in a Sentence
Daniel Felsenthal, The Atlantic, 29 Oct. 2024
Ditto the compositions that present the conclave as either an impeccable, implacable source of collective menace or render these fussin’, feudin’ cardinals as figures straight off the Sistine Chapel’s ceiling.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 25 Oct. 2024
The movie’s underlying premise is that images are a source of power, yet even that assumption seems to fray under the implacable realities that the images in question depict.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2024
Powerful forces were arrayed against him, including Carter himself, but Lewis’s opposition was implacable, though not insuperable.
—Kelefa Sanneh, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for implacable 
Dictionary Entries Near implacable
Cite this Entry
“Implacable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/implacable. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.
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implacable
adjective
-ˈplā-kə-
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