ineluctable

[in-i-luhk-tuh-buh l]

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adjective

incapable of being evaded; inescapable: an ineluctable destiny.

Origin of ineluctable

1615–25; < Latin inēluctābilis, equivalent to in- in-³ + ēluctā(rī) to force a way out or over, surmount (ē- e-¹ + luctārī to wrestle) + -bilis -ble

Related formsin·e·luc·ta·bil·i·ty, nounin·e·luc·ta·bly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for ineluctable

inescapable, inevitable, unavoidable

Examples from the Web for ineluctable

Contemporary Examples of ineluctable

Back then, today was supposed to be the official beginning of the slow and ineluctable ascent to the White House.
How Bad Does the GOP Need Chris Christie? Really Bad.
Michael Tomasky
January 21, 2014

Historical Examples of ineluctable

To step across the line would have been an ineluctable attempt.
Painted Veils
James Huneker
Exactly: and that is the ineluctable modality of the audible.
Ulysses
James Joyce
Ineluctable modality of the visible: at least that if no more, thought through my eyes.
Ulysses
James Joyce
The business bound his imagination with an ineluctable fascination.
The Destroying Angel
Louis Joseph Vance
The blows of fate are ineluctable; no man shall evade his doom.
The Revolt of the Angels
Anatole France

British Dictionary definitions for ineluctable

ineluctable

adjective

(esp of fate) incapable of being avoided; inescapable

Derived Formsineluctability, nounineluctably, adverb

Word Origin for ineluctable

C17: from Latin inēluctābilis, from in- 1 + ēluctārī to escape, from luctārī to struggle

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for ineluctable

adj.

"not to be escaped by struggling," 1620s, from Latin ineluctabilis "unavoidable, inevitable," from in- "not, opposite of" (see in- (1)) + eluctari "to struggle out of," from ex- "out" (see ex-) + luctari "to struggle" (see reluctance).