Word of the Day

Monday October 12, 2009

indomitable [in-DOM-ih-tuh-buhl]

adjective

Such indomitable optimism is, depending on one's social orientation, either everything that is wrong about New York or precisely what is right. Perhaps the best that can be said about Mr. Silverstein's unconquerable confidence is that it seems to be genetic.

Alan Feuer, "Sixty Floors Up, a Mogul Exudes Confidence", New York Times, May 14, 2009
In "Grandpa, Do You Know Who I Am?," which airs on Monday, Maria Shriver, one of the more sugar-coating-averse individuals of our time, gets straight to the point: How does one handle having a parent or grandparent who is no longer the person they were? Her own father, the indomitable Sargent Shriver, was diagnosed years ago and the first lady of California long ago dedicated herself to raising awareness of the disease, including serving as executive producer of "The Alzheimer's Project."

Mary McNamara, "TV REVIEW; Grace and pain in 'Alzheimer's'", Los Angeles Times, May 8, 2009
I looked again at my companion. He was a man of thirty, simply clad; the bold outlines of his features betokened indomitable energy; he appeared very muscular. Absorbed in the emotion of this silent suspension, he remained immovable, seeking to distinguish the objects which passed beneath his view.

Jules Verne (1828-1905) A French author. A Voyage in a Balloon (1852)

Origin of the Word

Indomitable, approximately 1634,derives from Late Latin indomitabilis "untameable," from in- "not" + Latin domitare, freq. of domare "to tame".