Inevitable

/ɪˈnɛvɪtəbəl/

adjectivemedium🔥Very CommonCondition
1 meaning1 idiom/phrase3 questions

Definitions

1

Certain to happen; unavoidable.

/ɪˈnɛvɪtəbəl/

adjectiveneutralmedium
Condition

The rain seemed inevitable after the dark clouds gathered overhead.

💡 Simply: Something that's going to happen for sure, no matter what you do. Like, if you drop an ice cream cone on a hot day, it's inevitable that it's going to melt!

👶 For kids: Something that will definitely happen, like the sun coming up every morning.

More Examples

2

Despite their best efforts, the team knew defeat was inevitable.

3

Aging is an inevitable part of life.

How It's Used

General

"Death is inevitable."

Science

"The laws of physics make certain outcomes inevitable."

Politics

"The candidate predicted an inevitable shift in public opinion."

Synonyms & Antonyms

Antonyms

Idioms & expressions

the inevitable

referring to something unavoidable; a predictable outcome

"They knew the meeting would eventually arrive at the inevitable, a budget cut."

From Medieval Latin inevitabilis, from in- (not) + evitabilis (avoidable), from evitare (to avoid). The word entered English in the 16th century.

The word gained prominence in philosophical and scientific discussions during the Enlightenment, often used to discuss the laws of nature and the course of history.

Memory tip

Think of 'in' (not) + 'evitable' (avoidable). If it's 'in-evitable', it can't be avoided.

Word Origin

LanguageMedieval Latin
Original meaning

"not avoidable"

inevitable consequenceinevitable outcomeinevitable resultinevitable conclusioninevitable death

Common misspellings

inevitibleinevitabel

Usage

40%Spoken
60%Written