unavoidable

[uhn-uh-voi-duh-buhl]

See more synonyms for unavoidable on Thesaurus.com

adjective

unable to be avoided; inevitable: an unavoidable delay.

Origin of unavoidable

1570–80; un-¹ + avoidable

Related formsun·a·void·a·bil·i·ty, un·a·void·a·ble·ness, nounun·a·void·a·bly, adverb

Synonyms

See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.com

inescapable, unpreventable, fated, sure, certain.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for unavoidable

Contemporary Examples

Such an outcome, because it is unavoidable, must be anticipated.
To Kill the ISIS Monster You Gotta Do More Than Cut Off Its Money
Charlie Winter
November 18, 2014
The manufacturing and sexualization of young starlets is a particularly obvious example of this unavoidable reality.
Lana Del Rey and the Fault in Our ‘Feminist’ Stars
Amy Zimmerman
June 11, 2014
Poignant because there could be no more powerful illustration of the unavoidable fact that anti-Semitism threatens us all.
Frazier Glenn Miller Would Kill Every Jew Like Me
Hampton Stevens
April 14, 2014
Unknowability might be an unavoidable consequence of self-aware, self-improving software.
This is What Happens When You Teach Machines the Power of Natural Selection
James Barrat
February 1, 2014
For those of us living in large urban centers, irrational nostalgia is unavoidable.
Weren’t Those the Bad Old Days? The Poison of New York City Nostalgia
Michael Moynihan
January 6, 2014

Historical Examples

The sky was still overcast, and the wet bushes were unavoidable.
Journal of an Expedition into the Interior of Tropical Australia
Thomas Mitchell
What might be unavoidable to one less instructed, would be sin in her!
Weighed and Wanting
George MacDonald
By trifling but unavoidable accidents, it was delayed a few hours.
Tales And Novels, Volume 5 (of 10)
Maria Edgeworth
So he lay for a long time, thinking now of his unavoidable end and now of Pashenka.
Father Sergius
Leo Tolstoy
When Mary made no answer, he added, “Your delays have all been unavoidable, my child!”
Dr. Sevier
George W. Cable

British Dictionary definitions for unavoidable

unavoidable

adjective

unable to be avoided; inevitable
law not capable of being declared null and void

Derived Formsunavoidability or unavoidableness, noununavoidably, adverb

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

Word Origin and History for unavoidable

adj.

mid-15c., from un- (1) "not" + avoidable. Related: Unavoidably.

unavoidable

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}unavoidable

Synonyms

Related Words

Examples from the Web for unavoidable

Contemporary Examples

Such an outcome, because it is unavoidable, must be anticipated.

The manufacturing and sexualization of young starlets is a particularly obvious example of this unavoidable reality.

Poignant because there could be no more powerful illustration of the unavoidable fact that anti-Semitism threatens us all.

Unknowability might be an unavoidable consequence of self-aware, self-improving software.

For those of us living in large urban centers, irrational nostalgia is unavoidable.

Historical Examples

The sky was still overcast, and the wet bushes were unavoidable.

What might be unavoidable to one less instructed, would be sin in her!

By trifling but unavoidable accidents, it was delayed a few hours.

So he lay for a long time, thinking now of his unavoidable end and now of Pashenka.

When Mary made no answer, he added, “Your delays have all been unavoidable, my child!”

unavoidable

Word Origin and History for unavoidable

adj.

Origin of unavoidable