It鈥檚 safe to say that most of us don鈥檛 know the entire Declaration of Independence by heart. However, many of us are familiar enough with the document declaring independence from England to know that at one point, it gets into some inalienable rights that all Americans will have. Or was Thomas Jefferson writing about unalienable rights as he was putting quill to paper?
Although these words differ only by a single letter, are they synonyms that can be interchanged? Let鈥檚 take a closer look.听
What does inalienable mean?
The adjective inalienable means something that “can鈥檛 be transferred to someone else, taken away, or denied.” This item, right, or principle isn鈥檛 alienable听or “able to be sold.” For example: Americans consider freedom of speech an inalienable right although not all countries agree with this.
First recorded in 1610鈥�20, this adjective originates from a combination of the prefix听in- and alienable via the Middle French 补濒颈茅苍补产濒别. include inviolable, absolute, unassailable, and inherent.
What does unalienable mean?
Unalienable is also an adjective that can be defined as 鈥渘ot transferable to another or not capable of being taken away or denied; inalienable.鈥� For example, there are certain rights that American citizens are born with and these are unalienable.听
Like inalienable, unalienable originates from the prefix听un– and听alienable via the Middle French a濒颈茅苍补产濒别听and was first recorded in 1610鈥�20. include built-in, constitutional, fundamental, and implicit.
Currently, inalienable is the more common spelling, but historically, that wasn鈥檛 always the case.听
Most are familiar with unalienable after being introduced to it in history class while learning this specific passage from the Declaration of Independence: 鈥淲e hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.鈥�
The dominance of unalienable versus inalienable has changed over time as preference has evolved over the years.听
Unalienable was the most popular choice until the 1830s when inalienable began to replace it. Now, inalienable is much more common with unalienable pretty much reserved for that famous proclamation.
How to use each word
These two adjectives stem from the same root word with the only difference being slightly different prefixes: un- vs. in-.
Un- is a prefix that means 鈥渘ot鈥� and gives a negative or opposite force. Although in- can mean “inclusion” (as in inland or indwelling), it can also be a synonym for un-, and is commonly used with nouns. Therefore, some words with the prefix in- can also mean a negative force, like inattention, inexpensive, or inorganic.
That means that inalienable and unalienable are synonyms that can be used interchangeably! The main difference is just historical context and popularity. As the English language has evolved, preferences for certain words and spellings shift, and that鈥檚 exactly what happened here. Although unalienable once dominated the scene, it has since taken a back seat to inalienable鈥攂ut that doesn鈥檛 mean you鈥檇 be incorrect to use it.
For example: Despite his son鈥檚 protests, this dad had to explain that his allowance wasn鈥檛 an inalienable [or unalienable] right and that he had to work for it.
Or: After going over the will with countless lawyers, it became clear that the large sum of money left to her was unalienable [or inalienable]听even as others tried to contest it.听
And also: Although many would have viewed the ability to leave their home whenever they pleased as a required freedom, some were surprised to learn during coronavirus lockdowns and curfews that this isn鈥檛 an inalienable [or unalienable] right.
So go forth and speak using either one, as it is your inalienable right to do so.
We also believe it’s your unalienable right to learn about other commonly mixed-up words, no matter how ridiculous it seems … take ludicrous and ridiculous, for example!
