ineluctable
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of ineluctable
First recorded in 1615–25; from Latin inēluctābilis, equivalent to in- negative and privative prefix + ēluctā(rī) “to force a way out or over, surmount” (from ē- verbal prefix + luctārī “to wrestle”) + -bilis adjective suffix; see e- 1, in- 3, -ble
Explanation
Huh? Are you scratching your head at this word? The ineluctable conclusion is that you haven't the faintest idea what it means. Ineluctable means impossible to avoid. A five syllable beauty like ineluctable is obviously not the kind of word you throw around in daily speech. It's far more often used as a written word, as in the common phrase "ineluctable conclusion." Used interchangeably with the more common unavoidable, though ineluctable implies an unsuccessful attempt to battle against whatever is ineluctable: after all, it comes from the Latin word "to struggle."
Vocabulary lists containing ineluctable
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Jim Harrison (1937-2016) Tribute List
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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.
I, too, am drawn by this ineluctable desire to become sentimental about John and Paul.
From Salon ● Apr. 10, 2025
But our relationship took on an ineluctable momentum, and by October, I was pregnant.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 21, 2025
It’s meant to provide an ineluctable link between the modern event and the ancient Greek original on which it was initially modelled.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 15, 2024
Michael Che is the standout here, not just because he mentions that SNL helped create Trump in the first place, but for this explanation of the ineluctable comedic power of hubris plus comeuppance:
From Slate ● Oct. 4, 2020
So doth even the most absurd of habits, after a time, inscribe itself as law, and come to resonate as ineluctable truth.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
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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.
