inevitable

== English == === Etymology === From Middle French inevitable, from Latin inēvītābilis (“unavoidable”), from in- + ēvītābilis (“avoidable”), from ēvītāre (“to avoid”), from ē- (“out”) + vītāre (“to shun”). === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ɪˈnɛvɪtəbəl/, [ɪˈnɛv.ɪ.tə.bɫ̩] (General American, Canada) IPA(key): /ɪˈnɛvɪtəbəl/, [ɪˈnɛv.ɪ.ɾə.bɫ̩] (General Australian) IPA(key): /ɪˈnevɪtəbəl/, [ɪˈnev.ɪ.ɾə.bɫ̩] === Adjective === inevitable (not comparable) Impossible to avoid or prevent. Predictable or always happening. ==== Usage notes ==== Largely synonymous with unavoidable, slightly more formal (borrowed as a unit from Latin, rather than formed in English), and with nuances of a natural consequence that occurs after – “inevitable punishment”, “inevitable result”. By contrast, unavoidable has some nuance of existing circumstances – “I was unavoidably detained.” – without there necessarily being a cause. Further, unavoidable has nuances of “could not have happened any other way, even if circumstances were different”, while inevitable connotes “given circumstances, this is the necessary result.” Compare “the disaster was inevitable”, meaning “sooner or later the disaster would happen (because they did not prepare)” with “the disaster was unavoidable”, meaning “even if they had prepared, the disaster would have happened”. Often used with a negative connotation, but may be used with a positive or neutral sense of fate, as in “Given our preparations, our victory was inevitable.” in which case *unavoidable would sound strange, since something like a victory would not generally be seen as something to avoid. In the same manner, impreventable and inevitable have different nuances. The sense “the disease was inevitable” means “It was natural to suffer the disease”; the sense “the disease was impreventable” means “There were no preventive methods against the disease”. Thus, "inevitable" indicates "unable to avoid due to natural or necessary matters", "unavoidable" indicates "unable to avoid due to incidental matters", impreventable indicates "unable to avoid due to the absence of preventive methods". ==== Synonyms ==== (impossible to avoid): inescapable, unavoidable, impreventable; See also Thesaurus:inevitable (naturally impossible to avoid): natural, necessary (always happening): certain, necessary ==== Antonyms ==== (antonym(s) of “impossible to avoid”): evitable, escapable, avoidable, preventable; See also Thesaurus:avoidable (antonym(s) of “always happening”): impossible, incidental; See also Thesaurus:circumstantial ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === Noun === inevitable (plural inevitables) Something that is predictable, necessary, or cannot be avoided. ==== Antonyms ==== evitable impossible === References === inevitable/unavoidable, WordReference.com === Further reading === “inevitable”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC. William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “inevitable”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC. “inevitable”, in OneLook Dictionary Search. == Asturian == === Etymology === From Latin inēvītābilis. === Adjective === inevitable (epicene, plural inevitables) inevitable ==== Related terms ==== evitar == Catalan == === Etymology === From in- +‎ evitable. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): (Central) [i.nə.βiˈtab.blə] IPA(key): (Balearic) [i.nə.viˈtab.blə] IPA(key): (Valencia) [i.ne.viˈta.ble] Rhymes: -ablə, -able === Adjective === inevitable m or f (masculine and feminine plural inevitables) inevitable ==== Derived terms ==== inevitablement == Galician == === Alternative forms === inevitável (reintegrationist) inevitábel === Etymology === From Latin inēvītābilis. === Pronunciation === === Adjective === inevitable m or f (plural inevitables) inevitable Antonym: evitable ==== Derived terms ==== inevitablemente === Further reading === “inevitable”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2026 == Middle French == === Adjective === inevitable m or f (plural inevitables) inevitable; unavoidable ==== Descendants ==== French: inévitable == Spanish == === Etymology === From Latin inēvītābilis. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /inebiˈtable/ [i.ne.β̞iˈt̪a.β̞le] Rhymes: -able Syllabification: i‧ne‧vi‧ta‧ble === Adjective === inevitable m or f (masculine and feminine plural inevitables) inevitable, inescapable, unavoidable (unable to be avoided) Synonyms: inescapable, insoslayable Antonym: evitable ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== === Further reading === “inevitable”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025