inimitable
adjective
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How Should You Use inimitable?
Something that is inimitable is, literally, not able to be imitated. In actual usage the word describes things so uniquely extraordinary as to not be copied or equaled, which is why you often hear it used to praise outstanding talents or performances (or uniquely talented and incomparable individuals). (The less common antonym imitable describes things that are common or ordinary and could easily be replicated.) Inimitable comes, via Middle English, from the Latin adjective inimitabilis. Be careful not to confuse it with inimical or inimicable, two adjectives meaning “hostile” or “harmful”; those words come from a different Latin root.
Examples of inimitable in a Sentence
Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 20 May 2025
Psaki, during a media tour to promote her new show, has stressed that Maddow is inimitable and suggested, instead, that her own chief value will be as an experienced insider who can decrypt Washington for viewers.
—Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 9 May 2025
In a video call from New York, Malek talked about putting his own inimitable spin on the action hero.
—Sean T. Collins, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
James Taffin de Givenchy also has his headquarters here, with a showroom decorated in his inimitable style, and a separate space for craftspeople.
—Kate Matthams, Forbes.com, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for inimitable
Cite this Entry
“Inimitable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inimitable. Accessed 1 Jun. 2025.
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inimitable
adjective
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