inevitable

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

/ ɪnˈɛv ɪ tə bəl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR inevitable ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

unable to be avoided, evaded, or escaped; certain; necessary: an inevitable conclusion.

sure to occur, happen, or come; unalterable: The inevitable end of human life is death.

noun

that which is unavoidable.

Nearby words

inescutcheon, inessential, inessive, inestimable, inevitability, inevitable, inevitably, inexact, inexactitude, inexcusable, inexertion

Origin of inevitable

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English word from Latin word inēvītābilis. See in-³, evitable

Related forms

in·ev·i·ta·bil·i·ty, in·ev·i·ta·ble·ness, nounin·ev·i·ta·bly, adverbqua·si-in·ev·i·ta·ble, adjectivequa·si-in·ev·i·ta·bly, adverb

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

Examples from the Web for inevitability

There has been very little mourning of this dual scalping, just a sense of inevitability.
Is There Life Left in ‘The View’?|Tim Teeman|June 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A book from any notable politician has become more an inevitability than an exception.
Churchill Would Be Famous Today on the Strength of His Writing Alone|Anthony Paletta|June 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Even to its critics, marriage equality seemed to be taking on the air of inevitability.
The Battle for LGBT Equality Isn’t Over Yet|Gene Robinson|May 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
On the Internet we call the inevitability of this trope “Rule 63.”
How ‘Battlestar Galactica,’ ‘Game of Thrones,’ and FanFiction Conquered Pop Culture|Arthur Chu|May 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The epidemiology of polio is simple to understand—as simple as seeing the inevitability of the major crisis we have before us.
U.N. Calls Middle East Polio Outbreak ‘Greatest Polio Challenge in History’|Kent Sepkowitz|April 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Cutty was merely reaching about for an expedient to thwart what to his anticipatory mind promised to be an inevitability.
The Drums Of Jeopardy|Harold MacGrath
Any one who had denied that inevitability publicly would have been counted—oh!
The World Set Free|Herbert George Wells
Such qualities alone will bring to a drama the selfless character which soaks it with inevitability.
The Complete Essays of John Galsworthy|John Galsworthy
For a day he fought to resign himself to the inevitability of the Mormon custom, to forget Mescal, and then he gave up trying.
The Heritage of the Desert|Zane Grey
The most applauded pieces were those, such as the "Lucia" inevitability, which the audience had heard most often.
Main Street|Sinclair Lewis

British Dictionary definitions for inevitability

inevitable

/ (ɪnˈɛvɪtəbəl) /

adjective

unavoidable

sure to happen; certain

noun

the inevitable something that is unavoidable

Derived Forms

inevitability or inevitableness, nouninevitably, adverb

Word Origin for inevitable

C15: from Latin inēvītābilis, from in- 1 + ēvītābilis, from ēvītāre to shun, from vītāre to avoid

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