Indefensibility

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The state of being unable to be justified or defended against opposition
2. The characteristic of lacking sufficient rationale or support for protection from critique
3. The quality of being impossible to protect or justify against challenge

Etymology: "Indefensibility" is built from "indefensible" plus the noun suffix "-ity". "Indefensible" combines the negative prefix "in-" with "defensible," which itself comes from "defend," ultimately from Latin "defendere," meaning "to ward off" or "to protect." The adjective "defensible" is the older and more basic word, and "indefensible" came into use shortly after it, as English speakers needed a way to describe a position, act, or argument that could not be protected or justified. The suffix "-ity," borrowed through French from Latin "-itas," turns an adjective into a noun naming a quality. So "indefensibility" literally means "the state of being not able to be defended." It is a straightforward formation, and its meaning follows directly from its parts: a claim or action with indefensibility cannot be shielded from criticism, whether that criticism is military, legal, or moral.

Synonyms: unsustainability, injustifiability, unreasonableness

Antonyms: defensibility, justifiability