imperturbable
/ˌɪmpəˈtɜːbəbl̩/
imperturbable means not capable of being, or not easily, perturbed, excited, or upset; calm and collected, even under pressure. It carries an Arena rating of 1439, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, imperturbable ranks #915 of 17,126 for Most Satisfying to Say, #3,883 of 17,128 for Most Ponderous Words, #5,709 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #6,109 of 17,104 for Most Storied Words.
imperturbable is pronounced /ˌɪmpəˈtɜːbəbl̩/.
Why “imperturbable” is a great word
Not capable of being, or not easily, perturbed, excited, or upset; calm and collected, even under pressure. From Late Latin imperturbābilis, from Latin in- ("not") + perturbābilis ("perturbable"), from perturbō ("to disturb, confuse"), first attested in English in the late 15th century. Unlike "nonchalant," which suggests a casual or perhaps feigned indifference, or "unflappable," which often connotes grace under sudden chaos, imperturbable describes a deep-seated, constant temperament. It is the unblinking eye of a veteran surgeon, the steady hand pouring tea in a shaking railway car, and the ancient oak that does not shudder in the storm—a fortress of the self, so complete it needs no battlement.
Etymology
From Late Middle English imperturbable (“undisturbed; impossible to disturb”), borrowed from Late Latin imperturbābilis, from Latin im- (variant of in- (prefix meaning ‘not’)) + Late Latin perturbabilis (“perturbable”) (from Latin perturbō (“to confuse; to alarm, disturb, trouble, perturb”) + -bilis (suffix forming adjectives denoting a capacity or worth of being acted upon)). Perturbō is derived from per- (intensifying prefix) + turbō (“to agitate, disturb, unsettle, perturb; to upset”) (from turba (“disorder, disturbance, turmoil”) (possibly from Ancient Greek τῠ́ρβη (tŭ́rbē, “confusion, disorder, tumult”), either from Pre-Greek, or Proto-Indo-European *(s)twerH- (“to agitate, stir up; to urge on, propel”)) + -ō (suffix forming infinitives of regular first-conjugation verbs)). By surface
adj
- Not capable of being, or not easily, perturbed, excited, or upset; calm and collected, even under pressure.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.