English has changed since Thomas Jefferson used unalienable in the Declaration of Independence. Inalienable is truer to the word’s Latin roots—in- is the Latin negative prefix, and un- is an English one—and while Jefferson’s Anglicized word has always been listed as an accepted variant, inalienable is now the more common form. Unalienable mainly appears in quotes of or references to Jefferson’s document. Inalienable is preferred everywhere else.
Both mean incapable of being transferred to another or others.
Examples
Unalienable is usually used in reference to the Declaration of Independence and its arguments—for example:
Our nation was predicated on unalienable rights with governance through family, church and community, each rightfully sovereign within its sphere. [Forbes]
Mr Gingrich recurs constantly to the Declaration of Independence’s premise that men “are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights”. [Economist]
Why should the unalienable rights – among them life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness – proudly celebrated by Americans on July 4 not be extended to humans everywhere? [Gulf Daily News]
And inalienable is used everywhere else—for example:
The speed with which the German government is shifting inalienable positions is breathtaking. [Financial Times]
That sentence is structured as an inalienable fact because it is … [Mirror]
It was ignored that ‘corruption’ is an inalienable part of bourgeois politics. [Republica]
