i-m-m-o-b-i-l-e
IMMOBILE means unable to move or be moved, completely motionless. From medical conditions to strategic gameplay, immobility represents the absence of movement or the state of being fixed in place.
14
Points in Scrabble
Base tile values • No multipliers applied
IMMOBILE describes something or someone that is incapable of movement, whether temporarily or permanently. This adjective encompasses physical inability to move (paralysis, being stuck), deliberate stillness (meditation, camouflage), or mechanical failure (broken vehicles, frozen gears). The state of immobility can be voluntary or involuntary, beneficial or detrimental. In medical contexts, immobility refers to patients who cannot move due to injury, illness, or medical intervention. Extended immobility poses serious health risks including muscle atrophy, blood clots, and pressure sores. Healthcare providers work to minimize immobility periods through physical therapy and early mobilization protocols.Common contexts of immobility:
The word immobile comes from Latin immobilis, combining the prefix im- (meaning "not") with mobilis (meaning "movable"). The root mobilis derives from movere meaning "to move," which also gives us "mobile," "motion," and "motor." The prefix im- is a variant of in- used before labial consonants (b, m, p) for easier pronunciation. This pattern appears in many English words: impossible, immature, impatient. The transformation creates the opposite meaning—from "able to move" to "not able to move." Immobile entered English in the 14th century through Old French, initially used in philosophical and religious texts describing the unchanging nature of divine beings. By the 15th century, it gained physical meanings. The related noun "immobility" appeared slightly later, around 1450.
•Some animals become immobile as a defense—opossums "play dead" to avoid predators
•The longest recorded traffic jam left vehicles immobile for 12 days in China (2010)
•Tonic immobility in sharks—flipping them upside down makes them temporarily immobile
•IMMOBILE has double M's—great for hooking onto existing M tiles for parallel plays
"The accident left him immobile for six weeks while his broken leg healed."
"Fear rendered her completely immobile as the bear approached the campsite."
"The old car sat immobile in the garage, its engine seized from years of neglect."
Words with similar meaning
Motionless
Without movement
Stationary
Not moving
Fixed
Firmly in place
Static
Lacking movement
Words with opposite meaning
Mobile
Able to move
Moving
In motion
Active
Full of movement
Flexible
Able to bend
Noun Form
immobility
His immobility worried doctors.
Verb Form
immobilize
The cast will immobilize the joint.
Past Participle
immobilized
The car was immobilized.
Related Terms
Made unable to move
Bedridden individual
Unable to move briefly
Shorter words within IMMOBILE:
In healthcare, immobility is both a symptom and a risk factor. Prolonged bed rest can lead to serious complications: muscle wasting begins within 48 hours, bone density decreases, and blood clot risk rises dramatically. Healthcare providers combat this through early mobilization protocols, range-of-motion exercises, and compression devices. Even brief periods of immobility require careful management to prevent complications.
Many animals use immobility as survival strategy. Thanatosis (playing dead) helps opossums, snakes, and beetles escape predators. Tonic immobility in sharks and rays occurs when inverted—used by researchers for safe handling. Freeze responses in prey animals make them harder to detect by movement-sensitive predator vision. This evolutionary strategy shows immobility can be as valuable as mobility.
Psychological immobility manifests as inability to act despite physical capability. Depression can create profound immobility—patients describe feeling "stuck" or "frozen." Panic attacks may cause temporary paralysis. Decision paralysis occurs when too many choices overwhelm cognitive processing. Understanding psychological immobility helps differentiate it from physical causes and guides appropriate interventions.
Immobile vs. Immovable
Cannot move vs. cannot be moved
Immobile vs. Disabled
Temporary state vs. condition
Immobile vs. Paralyzed
General term vs. medical condition
MOBILITY
Ability to move
MOBILE
Able to move
FIXED
Firmly placed
RIGID
Stiff, unbending
STATIC
Not moving
FROZEN
Unable to move
STUCK
Cannot move
STILL
Motionless
PARALYZED
Unable to move
STATIONARY
Not moving
Other valuable movement and stillness words in Scrabble
Total base points: 14 (Scrabble)
Vowels: 4 | Consonants: 4
Practice unscrambling letters to find more high-scoring words like IMMOBILE