Invict
adj.resilient, hopefulliterary
What it means
Unconquered or undefeated.
Reach for it when choosing a rare literary word for a spirit or force that has not been subdued
The poem leaves the exiled community invict in memory and language.
Choose between these
5- everyday
no contest has yet ended in defeat
not when Undefeated is competitive and may reflect a short record.
- warm
recovery after setbacks is the honest strength
not when Resilient does not deny defeat and is preferable when survival, not victory, matters.
- formal
defeat or domination has not occurred
not when Unconquered describes history and does not promise future victory.
- formal
an opponent or force remains unbeaten
not when Unvanquished sounds martial and is unusual in everyday praise.
- literary
spirit cannot be subdued even after losses
not when Indomitable allows actual defeat, while invict says unconquered.
Said against
3- defeated
- conquered
- subdued
It naturally appears in
3- remain invict
In the final stanza, the human wish to create remains invict.
- invict spirit
The memorial honors an invict spirit without denying the community's losses.
- stand invict
The old cedar seems to stand invict above the storm-cleared slope.
Usage notes
Invict is marked obsolete by the cited source and is often rhetorical. It should not erase actual losses when resilience is the more truthful praise.