inexorable

Etymology

From Middle French inexorable, from Latin inexōrābilis (“relentless, inexorable”) (or directly from the Latin word), from in- (prefix meaning ‘not’) + exōrābilis (“that may be moved or persuaded by entreaty; exorable”). Exōrābilis is derived from exōrāre (from exōrō (“to persuade, win over; to beg, entreat, plead”), from ex- (prefix meaning ‘out of’) + ōrō (“to beg, entreat, plead, pray; to deliver a speech, orate”), from ōs (“mouth”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃éh₁os (“mouth”)) + -bilis (suffix forming adjectives indicating a capacity or worth of being acted upon).

adj

1. Impossible to prevent or stop; inevitable.
   […] but inexorable yron detaines him in the dungeon of the night, fo that (pure creature) hee can neither traffique with the mercers and tailers as he was wont, nor dominere in tavernes as hee ought. 1592, Thomas Nashe, Pierce Penniless
   What greater follie can there be, than for a man to torment himselfe for nothing, and that willingly and of purpose, to pray and importune him, whom he knowes to be inexorable; to knocke at that dore that cannot be opened? 1615, Pierre Charron, Of Wisdome: Three Bookes, page 356
   [W]e ſhould no longer behold the ſad ſpectacle of ſo many miſerable captives of our ſpecies ſtretching forth their hands, and bending at the cloſe of their exiſtence, under the tyranny of imperious and inexorable habits, which gird them and carry them whither they would not. 1793, “[Appendix to the Tenth Volume of the Monthly Review Enlarged.] Art. XXII. Strictures upon the Discipline of the University of Cambridge, Addressed to the Senate. 8vo. pp. 53. 1s. 6d. Shepperson and Reynolds. 1792.”, in The Monthly Review; or, Literary Journal, Enlarged, volume X, London: Printed for R[alph] Griffiths; and sold by T[homas] Becket,[…], →OCLC, page 568, column 1
   What was my knowledge? it only served to show its own vanity; what was my power, when its exercise only served to work out the decrees of an inexorable necessity? I had parted myself from my kind, but I had not acquired the nature of a spirit. I had lost of humanity but its illusions, and they alone are what render it supportable. 1832, Letitia Elizabeth Landon, Heath's Book of Beauty, 1833, The Enchantress, pages 22–23
   It is more than the story of the fence and those who maintain it. It is a journey not just into the inland and along the length of the fence; it is a journey into the Australian psyche, reminding us of the inexorable struggle against the implacable wilderness, of the thin line that separates the tamed from the untamed, and the unnamed menace that broods just beyond the last suburbs. 15 November 2003, Norman Abjorensen, “The Dog Fence: By James Woodford: Text, 260pp, $30 [book review]”, in The Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney, N.S.W., archived from the original on 2019-01-31
   How quaint … an MP3 player that will store your entire record collection. The inexorable demand for more memory means we will soon be storing thousands of feature films in our pockets, and that's just for starters. 20 September 2004, Paul Rubens, “Thanks for Memory (but I Need More)”, in BBC News, archived from the original on 2018-07-20
   No one, today, can miss the inexorable unfolding across the headlines and social media timelines of a transformed relationship between Britain and Europe. 8 October 2018, Anne Perkins, “A Dad’s Army-style Brexit looms. ‘Don’t panic!’: Sentimental versions of our island story are a handicap when it comes to deciding Britain’s future”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2019-01-30
   I fear the future may hold another bitter industrial dispute, but there's an inexorable (but unwelcome) logic to the argument that level boarding [between platform and train] removes another role from guard's duties. August 23 2023, Philip Haigh, “Opportunities for train builders... and for further unrest”, in RAIL, number 990, page 51
2. Unable to be persuaded; relentless; unrelenting.
3. Adamant; severe.
   But to ſhew how God of a moſt loving Father becomes a ſevere and inexorable judge, without any change, this alone is to the purpoſe. For the very māner of propoſing it doth imply the ceaſing to be a loving Father which he was, but becomes a ſevere & inexorable judge, which he was not. 1631, William Twisse, “How God of a Most Lovinge Father Becomes a Severe and Inexorable Judge”, in A Discovery of D. Iacksons Vanitie.[…], [Amsterdam: Printed by the successors of Giles Thorp, and at London by W. Jones], →OCLC, page 660
   You ſay, there is no Nation, except our own, where there is any Distinction made, betwixt Manſlaughter and Murder; and that the Edict against Duelling in France, is of all others the moſt inexorable. I muſt beg Leave to differ with you in both theſe Points; the Edict againſt Duelling is no more inexorable than any other Edict, but I believe it to be more juſt, becauſe founded upon the Law of God, […] 1735 December, “Fog’s Journal, Dec. 13. Nº 371. To the Renown’d Squire Walsingham.”, in The London Magazine: Or, Gentleman’s Monthly Intelligencer, volume VIII (New Series), London: Printed by C[harles] Ackers,[…]; for T[homas] Cox,[…]; J[ohn] Clarke,[…]; and T[homas] Astley,[…], →OCLC, page 668, column 1