unavoidable
Americanadjective
adjective
-
unable to be avoided; inevitable
-
law not capable of being declared null and void
Other Word Forms
- unavoidability noun
- unavoidableness noun
- unavoidably adverb
Etymology
Origin of unavoidable
1570–80; un- 1 + avoidable ( def. )
Explanation
Use the adjective unavoidable to describe something that you can't escape or avoid. Going to your family reunion is unavoidable if there's no way for you to get out of it. Obligations are unavoidable, since they are responsibilities that have to be honored. Letting your grandmother pinch your cheek is unavoidable, and paying your rent is also unavoidable. As you get older, it's unavoidable that your knees will get stiffer — there is no way to avoid having this happen. Unavoidable comes from the verb avoid, which is rooted in the Anglo-French avoider, "to clear out or withdraw oneself."
Vocabulary lists containing unavoidable
"Core Curriculum: Introductory Craft Skills," Vocabulary from Module Four
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Shut Up, This Is Serious
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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.
If you're a parent or live with a condition that makes frequent bathroom trips unavoidable, you've likely figured out which public restrooms are usable and which ones to avoid.
From Science Daily • Apr. 13, 2026
Tehran’s sneaking the occasional cruise missile or drone through air defenses in the Gulf also seems unavoidable.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026
Whether or not Mastercard and Visa succeed in harnessing stablecoins, the biggest names in traditional finance seem to believe digital currencies are unavoidable.
From Barron's • Mar. 17, 2026
"The biggest concern that I have is when potholes are in fact unavoidable."
From BBC • Mar. 15, 2026
Although McCandless was enough of a realist to know that hunting game was an unavoidable component of living off the land, he had always been ambivalent about killing animals.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
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.
