inevitable

adj, noun — 3 senses

inevitable

adj

UK /ɪˈnɛvɪtəbəl/ · CA, US /ɪˈnɛvɪtəbəl/

Etymology From Middle French inevitable, from Latin inēvītābilis (“unavoidable”), from in- + ēvītābilis (“avoidable”), from ēvītāre (“to avoid”), from ē- (“out”) + vītāre (“to shun”).

1

Impossible to avoid or prevent.

  • We were going so fast that the collision was inevitable.
  • It was inevitable that such a system should lead to the wide use of nicknames to distinguish identically named members of a family[…]1945, E[lizabeth] G[idley] Withycombe, “Introduction”, in The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page xv:
1 more example
  • To do the job thoroughly sentiment must be ignored and it seems inevitable that the famous Great Hall and the Doric Arch will have to be sacrificed to progress.1960 February, R. C. Riley, “The London-Birmingham services - Past, Present and Future”, in Trains Illustrated, page 99:
2

Predictable or always happening.

  • My outburst met with the inevitable punishment.
  • This horse and rider, with their free, rhythmical gallop, were the only moving things to be seen on the face of the flat country. They seemed, in the last sad light of evening, not to be there accidentally, but as an inevitable detail of the landscape.1912, Willa Cather, The Bohemian Girl:
1 more example
  • Every break seemed dangerous and Falcao clearly had the beating of Amorebieta. Others, being forced to stretch a foot behind them to control Arda Turan's 34th-minute cross, might simply have lashed a shot on the turn; Falcao, though, twisted back on to his left foot, leaving Amorebieta in a heap, and thumped in an inevitable finish – his 12th goal in 15 European matches this season.2012 May 9, Jonathan Wilson, “Europa League: Radamel Falcao's Atlético Madrid rout Athletic Bilbao”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 04 Apr 2018:
Synonyms
inescapable, unavoidable, impreventable, natural, necessary, certain, avoidless, fatal, foregone, ineluctable, inevitable, inexorable, irresistible, predictable, unforestallable, unescapable, unpreventable
Antonyms
evitable, escapable, avoidable, preventable, impossible, incidental
Derived terms
inevitabilism, inevitability, inevitable abortion, inevitableness, inevitably, noninevitable
Related terms
unanticipable, unanticipatable, unforeseeable, unforetellable, unpredictable, inevitably, sure thing
Hypernyms
possible

inevitable

noun

Etymology From Middle French inevitable, from Latin inēvītābilis (“unavoidable”), from in- + ēvītābilis (“avoidable”), from ēvītāre (“to avoid”), from ē- (“out”) + vītāre (“to shun”).

1

Something that is predictable, necessary, or cannot be avoided.

  • I pass also the jealousies, the quarrels, the disgusts, that make the catholic questions and corn-bills of married life—and only dwell on one particular: some irresistible hat, some adorable cap, some exquisite robe, has rather elongated your milliner's list of inevitables...1831, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XI, in Romance and Reality. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC, page 98:
  • In the migratory patterns of the city's art scenes, there are two inevitables: First, that neighbourhoods where art makes its home become instantly more attractive; and second, because of it, art won't be at home for long.2009 August 22, Murray Whyte, “Seeking successors to the Queen West gallery scene”, in Toronto Star:
Antonyms
evitable, impossible

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.