Langimage
English

undestroyable

|un-de-stroy-a-ble|

C1

🇺🇸

/ˌʌn.dɪˈstrɔɪ.ə.bəl/

🇬🇧

/ˌʌn.dɪˈstrɔɪ.ə.b(ə)l/

not able to be destroyed

Etymology
Etymology Information

'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'.

Historical Evolution

'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'.

Meaning Changes

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