inevitable

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inevitable

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From Middle French inevitable, from Latin inēvītābilis (“unavoidable”), from in- + ēvītābilis (“avoidable”), from ēvītāre (“to avoid”), from ē- (“out”) + vītāre (“to shun”).

• IPA^(key): /ɪnˈɛvɪtəbəl/

• Audio (US):

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inevitable (not comparable)

1. Impossible to avoid or prevent.

   We were going so fast that the collision was inevitable.

   • 1960 February, R. C. Riley, “The London-Birmingham services - Past, Present and Future”, in Trains Illustrated, page 99:

     To do the job thoroughly sentiment must be ignored and it seems inevitable that the famous Great Hall and the Doric Arch will have to be sacrificed to progress.

2. Predictable or always happening.

   My outburst met with the inevitable punishment.

   • 2012 May 9, Jonathan Wilson, “Europa League: Radamel Falcao's Atlético Madrid rout Athletic Bilbao”, in the Guardian‎:

     Every break seemed dangerous and Falcao clearly had the beating of Amorebieta. Others, being forced to stretch a foot behind them to control Arda Turan's 34th-minute cross, might simply have lashed a shot on the turn; Falcao, though, twisted back on to his left foot, leaving Amorebieta in a heap, and thumped in an inevitable finish – his 12th goal in 15 European matches this season.

   • 1912, Willa Cather, The Bohemian Girl:

     This horse and rider, with their free, rhythmical gallop, were the only moving things to be seen on the face of the flat country. They seemed, in the last sad light of evening, not to be there accidentally, but as an inevitable detail of the landscape.

Largely synonymous with unavoidable, slightly more formal (borrowed as a unit from Latin, rather than formed in English), and with nuances of a natural consequence that occurs after – “inevitable punishment”, “inevitable result”. By contrast, unavoidable has some nuance of existing circumstances – “I was unavoidably detained.” – without there necessarily being a cause.

Further, unavoidable has nuances of “could not have happened any other way, even if circumstances were different”, while inevitable connotes “given circumstances, this is the necessary result.” Compare “the disaster was inevitable”, meaning “sooner or later the disaster would happen (because they did not prepare)” with “the disaster was unavoidable”, meaning “even if they had prepared, the disaster would have happened”.

Often used with a negative connotation, but may be used with a positive or neutral sense of fate, as in “Given our preparations, our victory was inevitable.” in which case *unavoidable would sound strange, since something like a victory would not generally be seen as something to avoid.

In the same manner, impreventable and inevitable have different nuances. The sense “the disease was inevitable” means “It was natural to suffer the disease”; the sense “the disease was impreventable” means “There were no preventive methods against the disease”.

Thus, "inevitable" indicates "unable to avoid due to natural or necessary matters", "unavoidable" indicates "unable to avoid due to incidental matters", impreventable indicates "unable to avoid due to the absence of preventive methods".

• (impossible to avoid): inescapable, unavoidable, impreventable; See also Thesaurus:inevitable
• (naturally impossible to avoid): natural, necessary
• (always happening): certain, necessary

• (antonym(s) of “impossible to avoid”): evitable, escapable, avoidable, preventable; See also Thesaurus:avoidable
• (antonym(s) of “always happening”): impossible, incidental; See also Thesaurus:circumstantial

• inevitable abortion
• inevitabilism
• inevitability
• inevitably
• inevitableness

inevitable (plural inevitables)

1. Something that is predictable, necessary, or cannot be avoided.
   • 1831, L E L[andon], chapter XI, in Romance and Reality. , volume I, London: Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley, , →OCLC, page 98:

     I pass also the jealousies, the quarrels, the disgusts, that make the catholic questions and corn-bills of married life—and only dwell on one particular: some irresistible hat, some adorable cap, some exquisite robe, has rather elongated your milliner's list of inevitables...

   • 2009 August 22, Murray Whyte, “Seeking successors to the Queen West gallery scene”, in Toronto Star‎:

     In the migratory patterns of the city's art scenes, there are two inevitables: First, that neighbourhoods where art makes its home become instantly more attractive; and second, because of it, art won't be at home for long.

• evitable
• impossible

• inevitable/unavoidable, WordReference.com

• “inevitable”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “inevitable”, in The Century Dictionary , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “inevitable”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

From Latin inēvītābilis.

inevitable (epicene, plural inevitables)

1. inevitable

• evitar

From in- +‎ evitable.

• IPA^(key): (Central)
• IPA^(key): (Balearic)
• IPA^(key): (Valencia)
• Rhymes: -ablə, -able

inevitable m or f (masculine and feminine plural inevitables)

1. inevitable

• inevitablement

• inevitável (reintegrationist)
• inevitábel

From Latin inēvītābilis.

This entry needs pronunciation information. If you are familiar with the IPA then please add some!

inevitable m or f (plural inevitables)

1. inevitable

   Antonym: evitable

• inevitablemente

• “inevitable”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2024

inevitable m or f (plural inevitables)

1. inevitable; unavoidable

• French: inévitable

From Latin inēvītābilis.

• IPA^(key): /inebiˈtable/
• Rhymes: -able
• Syllabification: i‧ne‧vi‧ta‧ble

inevitable m or f (masculine and feminine plural inevitables)

1. inevitable, inescapable, unavoidable (unable to be avoided)

   Synonyms: inescapable, insoslayable

   Antonym: evitable

• “inevitable”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10