undestroyable
|un-de-stroy-a-ble|
🇺🇸
/ˌʌn.dɪˈstrɔɪ.ə.bəl/
🇬🇧
/ˌʌn.dɪˈstrɔɪ.ə.b(ə)l/
not able to be destroyed
Etymology
'undestroyable' originates from English, formed by the negative prefix 'un-' (Old English 'un-') meaning 'not' combined with the adjective-forming suffix '-able' attached to the verb 'destroy', which ultimately comes from Latin 'destruere' where 'de-' meant 'down/away' and 'struere' meant 'to build or pile'.
'destroy' entered English via Old French (e.g. 'destruire') from Latin 'destruere'; Middle English had forms like 'destroyen' and 'destroy', and Modern English formed 'destroyable' (destroy + -able), to which 'un-' was added to create 'undestroyable'.
Initially the Latin root conveyed the sense 'to overturn/tear down' (from 'destruere'), and over time the compound 'undestroyable' has carried the straightforward modern meaning 'not able to be destroyed' (similar in sense to 'indestructible').
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
not able to be destroyed; indestructible.
The ancient fortress seemed undestroyable against the siege.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/12/15 16:20
