Implacability

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The state or quality of being unable to be calmed, appeased, or pacified
2. A characteristic of showing no willingness to relent or be softened in anger or hostility
3. An unyielding nature that resists any attempts to soothe or satisfy demands

Etymology: The word is built from a chain of familiar parts. Its root is the Latin verb "placare," meaning to appease or calm, which gave English "placate." Add the Latin negating prefix "in-" and the suffix "-able," which marks capacity, and you get "implacabilis," something that cannot be soothed. The Latin noun "implacabilitas" then turned that adjective into a state or quality. From Latin, the word passed into Old French before reaching English. The English noun keeps the sense the Latin gave it: not merely being angry, but being impossible to bring around. A person, a grudge or a storm can all show implacability, and the quality is defined by the failure of every attempt at reconciliation rather than by the anger itself.

Synonyms: unyieldingness, inflexibility

Antonyms: flexibility, compliance