Indelible Meaning
/ɪnˈdɛləbl/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjHaving the quality of being difficult to delete, remove, wash away, blot out, or efface.
adjIncapable of being canceled, lost, or forgotten.
Sentence Examples
Will you please use indelible ink so the phrase won't rub out?
Mr. Brown's unique style of teaching left an indelible mark on generations of students.
The Alpine landscape left an indelible impression on me.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ink made an ____ mark on the paper that could not be removed.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The experience of visiting the ancient ruins left an ____ impression on the young student.
Word Origin & History
From Latin indēlēbilis (“indestructible”). By surface analysis, in- + delible.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"The brow was smooth and fair; no deep thought, born of deep feeling, had grown there—those indelible lines which stamp even youth with age."
— 1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XXII, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume II, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 235:
"During our investigation it became clear that for three decades many other women had suffered at the hands of our abuser, but they had refused to testify against him because of the indelible stigma it would bring."
— 2014 August 29, Ruzwana Bashir, “The untold story of how a culture of shame perpetuates abuse. I know, I was a victim”, in The Guardian:
"An indelible image from the Great Depression features a well-dressed family seated with their dog in a comfy car, smiling down from an oversize billboard on weary souls standing in line at a relief agency."
— 2020 April 16, Patricia Cohen, “Straggling in a Good Economy, and Now Struggling in a Crisis”, in New York Times:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ink made an ____ mark on the paper that could not be removed.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The experience of visiting the ancient ruins left an ____ impression on the young student.