indelibly

Meanings

1. 1adverbnot comparablefigurative

   In a way that cannot be erased or forgotten, leaving a permanent mark on memory or character.

   Grammar: Goes before a participle: indelibly etched in my mind.

   Patterns

   • indelibly etched in something
   • indelibly linked to something

   The day of the storm is indelibly etched in her memory.

   His name is indelibly linked with the history of the club.

   The war indelibly shaped the poet's view of the world.

2. 2adverbnot comparable

   In a way that leaves a mark or stain that cannot be washed or rubbed away.

   Grammar: Describes how something is marked: indelibly stained.

   Patterns

   • indelibly marked
   • indelibly printed

   The ink had indelibly stained the white carpet.

   The initials were indelibly printed on the inside of the coat.

Common combinations

indelibly etched

The scene is indelibly etched in my memory.

indelibly linked

Her success is indelibly linked to her mentor's support.

indelibly stamped

The experience left him indelibly stamped with a sense of duty.

indelibly marked

The city was indelibly marked by the flood.

indelibly associated

The song is indelibly associated with that summer.

Synonyms and how they differ

permanently

Permanently is plain and neutral, while indelibly adds the feeling that a mark cannot be erased.

unforgettably

Unforgettably concerns memory only, whereas indelibly can also describe stains and permanent marks.

ineradicably

Ineradicably is more formal and stresses that something cannot be uprooted, often a bad habit or feeling.

Opposites

Word family

indelible adjective

impossible to remove or forget

indelibility noun

the quality of being permanent

delible adjective

rare word meaning able to be erased

Commonly confused: indelibly or incredibly?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “indelibly”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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