inevitable
Americanadjective
-
unable to be avoided, evaded, or escaped; certain; fated.
an inevitable conclusion.
- Synonyms:
- ineluctable, unavoidable
-
sure to occur, happen, or come; unalterable.
The inevitable end of human life is death.
noun
adjective
-
unavoidable
-
sure to happen; certain
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of inevitable
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English word from Latin word inēvītābilis; see in- 3, evitable
Explanation
If something is inevitable, it will definitely happen, like death or tax season. Inevitable comes from the Latin word inevitabilis, which means unavoidable. If you say something is inevitable, you give the sense that no matter what scheme you come up with to get around it, it's going to happen sooner or later. You can use all the skin products you want, but wrinkles are inevitable.
Vocabulary lists containing inevitable
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List 7
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
If Mamdani has so far shown a pragmatic streak in how he governs that can feel at odds with the loftier promises of his campaign, some friction with his most hard-line voters might be inevitable.
From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026
The recent run of luck and strong returns raises an important question, he said: “What happens when the inevitable pendulum swings back and even more expensive catastrophe activity returns?”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
The UK's AI minister has warned it is "likely, if not inevitable" the country's cyber defences will at some point be breached.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
Narayan on Monday warned that "it seems likely, if not inevitable, that our own cyber defences will be breached".
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026
As in many neighborhoods throughout the nation, North Enders were divided in their support of what now seemed to be the inevitable development.
From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
