unflappable

English

WOTD – 29 February 2012

Etymology

From un- +‎ flap (“to upset, stir”) +‎ -able.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʌnˈflæpəbəl/

• Audio (AU)

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Adjective

unflappable (comparative more unflappable, superlative most unflappable)

1. Remaining composed and level-headed at all times; impossible to fluster; not becoming frustrated or irritated easily. [from 1954]

   Synonyms: collected, cool, even-keeled, imperturbable

   Antonym: flappable

   • 1959, The Economist, volume 190:

     The whole thing looked remarkably like an implacable force meeting an unflappable object.

   • 1978, James D. Margach, The abuse of power: the war between Downing Street and the media from Lloyd George to Callaghan:

     It was for this reason that when Lord Hailsham first described Harold Macmillan as "unflappable'", it became an instant catchword, distancing the incoming Prime Minister from his predecessor

Related terms

• flappable
• unflappability
• unflappableness
• unflappably

 

Translations

remaining composed and level-headed at all times

• Bulgarian: невъзмутим (bg) (nevǎzmutim)
• Catalan: impertorbable
• Dutch: onverstoorbaar (nl)
• Finnish: järkähtämätön
• French: imperturbable (fr)
• German: unerschütterlich (de)
• Hungarian: kizökkenthetetlen, rendíthetetlen (hu), higgadt (hu), szenvtelen (hu), nyugodt (hu), blazírt (hu)
• Macedonian: нево́збуден (nevózbuden)
• Polish: niewzruszony (pl)
• Russian: невозмути́мый (ru) (nevozmutímyj)
• Spanish: imperturbable