unalienable

adjective

un·​alien·​able ˌən-ˈāl-yə-nə-bəl 

-ˈā-lē-ə-

: impossible to take away or give up : inalienable

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.

—United States Declaration of Independence

… it's hard to say whether the partisan noise could influence an election, or whether it's New York simply exercising its unalienable right to be New York.

—Audra D. S. Burch

Examples of unalienable in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The pursuit of happiness — enshrined in the Declaration of Independence as one of our unalienable rights along with life and liberty — is in reality big and daunting. —Stephanie Harrison, Contributor, CNBC, 29 July 2024

We're all created equal, endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights: life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness. —Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 25 July 2024

We are founded, as declared in the Declaration, on the principle 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. —John Yoo, National Review, 23 June 2024

Our core values that all people are created equal, with the unalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, have become more of a reality. —Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 19 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1611, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

unalienable

adjective

un·​alien·​able ˌən-ˈāl-yə-nə-bəl 

-ˈā-lē-ə-nə-

: inalienable

Legal Definition

unalienable

adjective

un·​alien·​able ˌən-ˈāl-yə-nə-bəl, -ˈā-lē-ə- 

: not alienable : inalienable