Implacable
/ɪmˈplækəbəl/
adjectiveC2
Definition
Implacable means not able to be made less angry, less strong, or less determined. It is often used to describe feelings like anger or enemies who will not stop being hostile. It shows a strong, fixed attitude that does not change even with kindness or time.
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See It in Action
Unable to be calmed or changed in feeling or attitude
- •The implacable enemy refused all peace offers.
- •She had an implacable hatred toward those who betrayed her.
- •His implacable anger made it hard to talk to him.
Impossible to stop or overcome
- •The implacable force of the storm destroyed everything.
- •Time is an implacable enemy that no one can defeat.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "implacable" like "angry" (A1 word), but MUCH stronger and impossible to calm down or change
- ✓Picture a storm that keeps blowing hard without stopping, no matter what happens around it
- ✓It's the feeling when someone is very upset and will never forgive or forget, no matter what you do
- ✓Sounds like "I'm PLACK-able" → imagine a black cloud (PLACK sounds like black) that never goes away and covers everything
- ✓Think of a story villain who never stops chasing the hero, no matter what happens
- ✓NOT like "mad" (which can calm down), "implacable" means the anger or feeling is fixed and unstoppable
- ✓NOT like "angry" that can change quickly; "implacable" is permanent and very strong
- ✓NOT like "peaceful" — implacable is the opposite: no peace or calm is possible
Try Other Words
- •Relentless: meaning never stopping or giving up (Use when you want to emphasize continuous action or pressure)
- •Unyielding: meaning not giving in or bending (Use when describing people or attitudes that do not change)
- •Inflexible: meaning not able to change (Use when talking about rules, attitudes, or plans that cannot be changed)
Unboxing
- •Prefix: "im-" means "not" or "opposite of"
- •Root: "placable" comes from Latin "placare," meaning "to calm or please"
- •Etymology: From Latin "implacabilis," meaning "not able to be appeased or calmed"
- •Historical development: Used since the 1600s in English to describe feelings or forces that cannot be calmed or stopped
- •Modern usage: Used mainly to describe very strong feelings like anger or enemies that cannot be made peaceful or stopped
Reflect & Connect
•Can you think of a time when someone was implacable toward you or others? What made it impossible to calm them?
•How does the idea of something being implacable help us understand strong emotions or unstoppable events in life?
Fill in the blanks
1.The general faced an implacable enemy who refused to ___ any peace terms.
2.Her implacable anger made it impossible for her to ___ forgiveness.
3.Unlike normal anger, implacable feelings do not ___ over time.
4.The implacable storm continued to ___ destruction across the coast.
5.When someone is implacable, they are often described as ___ to reason or kindness.
6.The company’s implacable refusal to change its policy showed it was ___ to any pressure.
7.We can infer that an implacable person will not ___ their opinion easily.