inevitable
Americanadjective
-
unable to be avoided, evaded, or escaped; certain; fated.
an inevitable conclusion.
- Synonyms:
- ineluctable, unavoidable
-
sure to occur, happen, or come; unalterable.
The inevitable end of human life is death.
noun
adjective
-
unavoidable
-
sure to happen; certain
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of inevitable
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English word from Latin word inēvītābilis; see in- 3, evitable
Explanation
If something is inevitable, it will definitely happen, like death or tax season. Inevitable comes from the Latin word inevitabilis, which means unavoidable. If you say something is inevitable, you give the sense that no matter what scheme you come up with to get around it, it's going to happen sooner or later. You can use all the skin products you want, but wrinkles are inevitable.
Vocabulary lists containing inevitable
100 Top "SAT" Words
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List 7
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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.
Leo Feng, founder of Chinese agent operating system Cola.APP, said price cuts are "an inevitable trend" that "may lead to a boom in downstream applications".
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
Instead of fighting the erosion, villagers have introduced their own mitigating measures to give their properties and livelihoods a better chance against the inevitable.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
It is inevitable that accidents will happen, and that bad actors will cause occasional losses.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 2026
Mr. Kaldellis’s most important contribution is to argue that “the fall of Constantinople was not inevitable, and the defense was not doomed.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
I suppose I knew it was inevitable, and dreaded it.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
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.
