inevitably

American  

[in-ev-i-tuh-blee] / ɪnˈɛv ɪ tə bli /

adverb

1. in a way that cannot be avoided or escaped; as will certainly or necessarily happen.

   All we parents can do is our best, and when we inevitably screw up, we know that tomorrow's another day.

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Other Word Forms

• quasi-inevitably
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of inevitably

inevitab(le) ( def. ) + -ly

Explanation

If something is totally unavoidable, it is inevitably going to happen. Inevitably, the sun will come up tomorrow. The adverb inevitably comes from the negative of the French word for "avoid" or "shun." There are things you can put off for a while, but inevitably you're going to have to deal with them at some point, like telling your family that you crashed the car. No matter how free-spirited you imagine yourself, unless you are independently wealthy, you will inevitably have to settle down and get some sort of job, like writing and editing word definitions.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

inevitably

"First and foremost, I want to express my sympathies to the loved ones of this family who will inevitably be struggling to come to terms with this horrendous news," Stevenson said.

From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026

Such discoveries are valuable for their own sake, but they also yield benefits that inevitably make life better on our own planet.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

And, at a more fundamental level, pandemics breed conspiracy theories because someone inevitably loses.

From Slate ● Aug. 26, 2026

In a country where seafood products account for around 40 percent of exports of goods, fishing -- an integral part of Iceland's national identity -- would inevitably be the key issue in EU negotiations.

From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026

The little routine of the day going on inevitably as it had always done.

From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier

Related Words

• necessarily
• surely