Uncompromisable

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Incapable of being adjusted or yielded; refusing to make concessions or settle differences; characterized by an absolute firmness or rigidity in position
2. Not open to negotiation or modification; steadfastly maintaining original terms without any form of concession; embodying an unwavering and inflexible stance
3. Unable to be brought to agreement through compromise; persistently adhering to a fixed viewpoint without flexibility; marked by an inflexible and resolute nature

Etymology: "Uncompromisable" is built from the prefix "un-", meaning "not", attached to "compromisable," which is an adjective formed from "compromise" plus the suffix "-able," meaning "capable of being." Put together, the word describes something that cannot be settled by mutual concession. The base word "compromise" has a legal ancestry. It comes from the Latin "compromittere," meaning to promise mutually, and it originally referred to an agreement by two parties to submit a dispute to arbitration and abide by the result. Over time its sense softened into the familiar idea of each side giving up part of its demands. So an uncompromisable position is one that refuses even that mutual give-and-take. The word carries the sense of a stance that is simply not available for negotiation, which is why it is most often applied to principles, opponents, or demands rather than to physical objects.

Synonyms: inflexible, unyielding, irreconcilable

Antonyms: compromisable, flexible, yielding