ineluctable

American  

[in-i-luhk-tuh-buhl] / ˌɪn ɪˈlʌk tə bəl /

adjective

1. incapable of being evaded; inescapable.

   an ineluctable destiny.

   Synonyms:

   fated, sure, certain, inexorable, unstoppable, unpreventable, irrevocable, unavoidable, inevitable

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ineluctable British  

/ ˌɪnɪˈlʌktəbəl /

adjective

1. (esp of fate) incapable of being avoided; inescapable

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Other Word Forms

• ineluctability noun
• ineluctably adverb

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; 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."

Example Sentences

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