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
Happy Birthday, James Joyce!
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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
This feels like a break from the past, from that quintessential American belief in ineluctable progress that has always been a staple of our national identity, even in far grimmer times.
From Slate • Aug. 19, 2023
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
Definitions 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.
