Nonnegotiable

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Not open to discussion or modification; fixed in terms or conditions; unable to be altered or compromised in agreement
2. Impervious to negotiation or change; established as absolute or final; not subject to reconsideration or bargaining
3. Incapable of being debated or altered; set as firm and unyielding; predetermined without allowances for adjustments or flexibility

Etymology: "Nonnegotiable" is a straightforward compound: the prefix "non-" joined to "negotiable," which itself is "negotiate" plus the suffix "-able." The prefix traces back to Old English "nān," meaning "not one" or "none," which is also the ancestor of the modern word "none." Its use as a negating prefix in English is an ordinary part of the language's word-building system. "Negotiate" comes from Latin "negotiari," meaning to carry on business, formed from "negotium," literally "not leisure" or "business," from "nec-" (not) and "otium" (leisure). So at the root, the idea is that business is the opposite of relaxation. The "-able" ending, borrowed through Old French from Latin "-abilis," marks something that can be done. "Negotiable" therefore means something that can be bargained over, and "nonnegotiable" means the reverse: terms that cannot be bargained over.

Synonyms: inflexible, unnegotiable, fixed, firm, final

Antonyms: negotiable, flexible, adjustable, open, modifiable