untouchable
B2Formal to neutral
Definition
Meaning
Not able to be touched, physically or metaphorically; inaccessible; beyond criticism, influence, or punishment.
Refers to something sacred or prohibited from being touched; a person or group considered beyond the reach of law or social norms; in historical context, a member of the lowest caste in the traditional Indian social system.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The word operates in three main semantic fields: 1) Physical/abstract inaccessibility, 2) Legal/social immunity, 3) Historical social stratification (often capitalized as 'Untouchable'). Context is crucial for disambiguation.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Usage is largely identical. The historical caste term is more likely to be encountered in British English due to colonial history and South Asian diaspora context.
Connotations
In both, the legal/social immunity sense carries a negative connotation of corruption or unfair privilege. The physical sense is neutral.
Frequency
Similar frequency, though the caste-related sense appears more in anthropological or historical texts.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[be/become/remain] + untouchable[consider/view/regard] + NP + as untouchableuntouchable + [to/for] + NPVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “(as) untouchable as the crown jewels”
- “live in an untouchable bubble”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Refers to a market leader or executive whose position is perceived as completely secure.
Academic
Used in social sciences to discuss caste systems or in law/politics to discuss immunity.
Everyday
Used to describe someone who seems above criticism or rules, or an object kept out of reach.
Technical
In computing, can refer to data or memory that cannot be accessed or modified.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- N/A – 'untouchable' is not a standard verb form.
American English
- N/A – 'untouchable' is not a standard verb form.
adverb
British English
- N/A – 'untouchably' is extremely rare and non-standard.
American English
- N/A – 'untouchably' is extremely rare and non-standard.
adjective
British English
- The CEO's position seemed untouchable after the merger.
- Some ancient texts were considered untouchable and kept in a sealed vault.
American English
- The quarterback's record was untouchable for decades.
- That subject is politically untouchable for most candidates.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The cake is for the party, so it's untouchable until later.
- The trophy is in a glass case and is untouchable.
- After winning the election, the mayor felt untouchable.
- Some old family photos are untouchable and stored safely.
- The documentary exposed a network of corrupt officials who had previously been untouchable.
- The team's lead in the championship now appears virtually untouchable.
- Her academic reputation was so formidable it rendered her criticism untouchable by her peers.
- The reforms aimed to dismantle the untouchable status enjoyed by the old political elite.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a museum artefact behind glass: you can see it, but it is UN-TOUCH-ABLE.
Conceptual Metaphor
IMMUNITY IS BEING BEYOND PHYSICAL CONTACT (e.g., 'untouchable by the law').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid direct calque 'нетронутый' (which means 'untouched' as in pristine). For the immune sense, use 'неприкосновенный'. For the caste term, use 'неприкасаемый'.
- The physical 'cannot be touched' sense is less common than the metaphorical 'immune' sense in English.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'untouchable' to mean 'not touched yet' (use 'untouched').
- Confusing 'untouchable' (immune) with 'intouchable' (non-standard; the correct form for 'not in contact' is 'out of touch').
Practice
Quiz
In which context is 'Untouchable' (capitalised) most accurately used?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No. While it often has negative connotations of unfair privilege or corruption in social/legal contexts, it can be neutral (a fragile object is untouchable) or positive (an athlete's record is untouchable).
'Untouchable' means cannot or must not be touched (often with a sense of prohibition or immunity). 'Untouched' means not having been touched (e.g., 'The food was left untouched').
The term 'Untouchable' is considered outdated and often offensive. The preferred contemporary terms are 'Dalit' or 'Scheduled Caste' in the Indian context. Use it only when quoting historical sources.
Yes, primarily in the historical caste sense (e.g., 'Gandhi campaigned for the rights of the Untouchables'). Informally, it can refer to a person who is immune (e.g., 'He's the untouchable of the organization'), but this is less common.
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