indisputabilis

Indisputabilis is a Latin adjective meaning undeniable, indisputable, or beyond dispute. It is formed from the prefix in- meaning not, combined with disputabilis “able to be disputed,” itself from disputare “to dispute.” The result conveys that a proposition, claim, or fact is so clear or evident that it cannot reasonably be argued against.

In usage, indisputabilis describes conclusions, propositions, or truths regarded as self-evident or proven beyond question. Classical Latin authors rarely employ the exact form, but the concept appears in scholastic and legal Latin, philosophy, and modern Latin writings as a precise way to label something as beyond dispute. It is also encountered in translations or paraphrases of arguments where a point is presented as established.

Morphology follows the typical pattern of -ilis adjectives. The form indisputabilis is used for masculine and feminine nominative singular, while the neuter form is indisputabile. For example, one might encounter the sentence: Propositum indisputabile est, “The proposition is indisputable.” In plural or other cases, the standard inflectional patterns for -ilis adjectives apply.

Relationship to related terms: indisputabilis is closely related to disputabilis (able to be disputed) and to the English cognate indisputable. It contrasts with indubitus (certain, not doubtful) and with disputabilis in contexts where a claim is still open to challenge.

See also: disputable, indubitable, axioma, deductio.