indefatigable

English

WOTD – 7 June 2009

Etymology

From Middle French, from Latin indēfatīgābilis (“untiring”), from in- (“not”) + dēfatīgō (“to tire out”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌɪndɪˈfætɪɡəbl/
• IPA^(key): /ˌɪndəˈfætɪɡəbəl/, [ˌɪndəˈfæɾɪɡəbəl]

• Audio (AU):

  (file)

• (sometimes proscribed) IPA^(key): /ˌɪndɪfəˈtiɡəbəl/

• Audio (Northern California, US):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: in‧de‧fa‧tig‧a‧ble

Adjective

indefatigable (comparative more indefatigable, superlative most indefatigable)

1. Extremely persistent and untiring.

   Synonyms: inexhaustible, relentless, tireless, unflagging, unsinkable, untiring, unwearying

   Antonym: (much less common) defatigable

   • 1704, [Jonathan Swift], “Section I. The Introduction.”, in A Tale of a Tub. […], London: […] John Nutt, […], →OCLC, page 33:

     Whoever hath an Ambition to be heard in a Crowd, muſt preſs, and ſqueeze, and thruſt, and climb with indefatigable Pains, till he has exalted himſelf to a certain Degree of Altitude above them.

   • 1749, Henry Fielding, “Containing Two Letters in Very Different Stiles”, in The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume VI, London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC, book XVIII, page 196:

     [...] But he was at the ſame Time an excellent Scholar, and moſt indefatigable in teaching the two Lads.

   • 1895–1897, H[erbert] G[eorge] Wells, “Friday Night”, in The War of the Worlds, London: William Heinemann, published 1898, →OCLC, book I (The Coming of the Martians), pages 54–55:

     All night long the Martians were hammering and stirring, sleepless, indefatigable, at work upon the machines they were making ready, and ever and again a puff of greenish-white smoke whirled up to the starlit sky.

Derived terms

• indefatigability
• indefatigableness
• indefatigably

 

Translations

extremely persistent and untiring

• Arabic: لَا يَتْعَبُ (lā yatʕabu)
• Armenian: անխոնջ (hy) (anxonǰ), չհոգնող (čʻhognoġ)
• Belarusian: нясто́мны (njastómny)
• Bulgarian: неуморен (bg) (neumoren)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 不倦 (zh) (bùjuàn)

• Czech: neúnavný m
• Danish: utrættelig
• Dutch: onvermoeibaar (nl), onvermoeid
• Finnish: uupumaton, väsymätön (fi)
• French: infatigable (fr)
• German: unermüdlich (de)
• Greek: ακούραστος (el) (akoúrastos)

  Ancient: ἀκάματος (akámatos), ἄτρυτος (átrutos)

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Hebrew: לא מתעיף (la' mth'if)
• Hungarian: fáradhatatlan (hu), kitartó (hu)
• Irish: dochloíte, dosháraithe, dothraochta, dothuirsithe
• Italian: infaticabile (it)
• Macedonian: неуморен (neumoren), безуморен (bezumoren)
• Maori: pikoni
• Norwegian: utrøttelig
• Portuguese: infatigável (pt)
• Russian: неутоми́мый (ru) (neutomímyj), неуста́нный (ru) (neustánnyj), упо́рный (ru) (upórnyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: do-shàrachaidh
• Spanish: incansable (es), infatigable (es)
• Swedish: outtröttlig (sv)
• Tocharian B: ekwalatte
• Ukrainian: невто́мний (nevtómnyj), неосла́бний (neoslábnyj)
• Welsh: di-flino