Etymologically
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unstoppable

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 31 October 2026 at 15:28. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • /ʌnˈstɔ.pə.bəl/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English un- + stop + -able.[2][3][4][5] The opposite, stoppable, appears only in 1934, probably as a back-formation from unstoppable.[3][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

That cannot be stopped: 1836, in T. Hook's “Gilbert Gurney”.[2][4] Etymonline dates the adjective to 1827,[3] and Dictionary.com to 1830–40.[5]

Semantic evolution

The meaning has stayed close to its parts, "not able to be stopped",[2][6] with the extension to things that cannot be prevented.[7] Collins also gives "extremely forceful",[8] and it is often said of a person or team on a winning run, as in a Newsweek line quoted by Merriam-Webster.[4] The adverb unstoppably and the noun unstoppability are recorded from the mid 20th century.[7]

Timeline

  • 1836 – not able to be stopped.[2][4]
  • 1934 – stoppable, probably formed from it.[3][2]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Impossible to stop or prevent: an unstoppable flood of complaints.[8][7][4]
  2. Extremely forceful or successful: After ten straight wins the team seemed unstoppable.[8][4]

Word family

  • unstoppably

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  6. ^ Kay, Christian; Roberts, Jane; Samuels, Michael; Wotherspoon, Irené, eds. (2009), Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford: Oxford University Press; online edition (2024)
  7. ^ a b c Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  8. ^ a b c Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins