indomitable
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day
Merriam-Webster
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🗓️ 19 June 2026
⏱️ 2 minutes
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Summary
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 19, 2026 is:
indomitable • \in-DAH-muh-tuh-bul\ • adjective
Indomitable is a formal word used to describe something that is impossible to defeat or discourage.
// Juneteenth celebrates the abolition of slavery in the United States, and honors the indomitable spirit of African Americans past and present fighting for justice, liberation, and the fulfillment of this nation’s ideals.
Examples:
“During his legendary NBA career, Michael Jordan was renowned not only for his athleticism and skill but also for his indomitable will to win.” – Chicago Tribune, 1 Apr. 2026
Did you know?
At five punchy syllables, indomitable is an imposing word, so it’s inevitable that some are perplexed by this synonym for impregnable. But it’s not so tough once you break it into parts. The prefix in- (spelled im- before b, m, and p) means “not” in an innumerable collection of English words. (How many have you counted so far?) The common suffix -able means “capable of, fit for, or worthy of.” Combine those two English affixes with the Latin verb domitare (“to tame”), and voila: indomitable. Indomitable was first used in English as a synonym of wild, describing—appropriately enough—things that cannot be tamed, but over time the wildness associated with indomitable developed into a specific kind of invulnerable strength.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | It's Merriam Webster's Word of the Day for June 19th. |
| 0:10.0 | Today's word is indomitable, spelled I-N-D-O-M-I-T-A-B-L-E. |
| 0:19.0 | Indomitable is an adjective. It's a formal word used to describe something that is |
| 0:24.9 | impossible to defeat or discourage. Here's the word used in a sentence from the Chicago Tribune. |
| 0:31.6 | During his legendary NBA career, Michael Jordan was renowned not only for his athleticism and skill, but also for his |
| 0:39.6 | indomitable will to win. At five punchy syllables, the word indomitable is imposing, so it's inevitable |
| 0:48.9 | that some are perplexed by this synonym for impregnable. But it's not so tough once you break it into parts. |
| 0:56.0 | The prefix in, I-N, spelled I-M before B, M, and P, means not in an innumerable collection of English words. |
| 1:06.0 | The common suffix able, A-B-L-E, means capable of, fit for, or worthy of. |
| 1:13.2 | Combine those two English affixes with the Latin verb domitare, meaning to tame, and voila. |
| 1:20.6 | Indomitable. |
| 1:21.8 | Indomitable was first used in English as a synonym of wild, describing appropriately enough things that cannot be tamed. |
| 1:30.3 | But over time, the wildness associated with indomitable developed into a specific kind of |
| 1:36.4 | invulnerable strength. With your word of the day, I'm Peter Sokoloski. |
| 1:44.8 | Visit Miriamwebster.com today for definitions, wordplay, and trending word lookups. |
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