belongs to lowest social and ritual class in India defiling to the touch; especially used in traditional Hindu belief of the lowest caste or castes forbidden to the touch; "in most museums such articles are untouchable"
If you say that someone is untouchable, you mean that they cannot be affected or punished in any way. I want to make it clear, however, that no one is untouchable in this investigation. An untouchable is someone who is untouchable. an anti-corruption squad nicknamed the `Untouchables'
emphasis If you describe someone, especially a sports player or entertainer, as untouchable, you are emphasizing that they are better than anyone else in what they do. A lot of the players began to feel they were untouchable
defiling to the touch; especially used in traditional Hindu belief of the lowest caste or castes
Some people refer to Hindus of the lowest social rank as untouchables. He was born an untouchable in a very poor village in south India. adj. Former classification of various low-status persons and those outside the Hindu caste system in Indian society. The term Dalit is now used for such people (in preference to Mohandas K. Gandhi's term, Harijan, which was considered condescending by the Dalit themselves), and their plight is recognized by the Indian constitution and by legislation. The groups traditionally considered untouchable included people whose occupations or habits of life involved activities considered to be polluting, such as taking life for a living (e.g., fishermen); killing or disposing of dead cattle or working with their hides; coming into contact with human waste (e.g., sweepers); and eating flesh of cattle, pigs, or chickens. Many untouchables converted to other religions to escape discrimination. Indian law now categorizes the Dalit under the term scheduled castes and accords them certain special privileges
not capable of being obtained; "a rare work, today almost inaccessible"; "timber is virtually unobtainable in the islands"; "untouchable resources buried deep within the earth"
beyond the reach of criticism or attack or impeachment; "for the first time criticism was directed at a hitherto untouchable target"- Newsweek