Do you know the definition of inevitable? This article will provide you with all of the information you need on the word inevitable, including its definition, etymology, usage, example sentences, and more!
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According to Collins English Dictionary and the American Heritage Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, the word inevitable is an adjective that means unavoidable. Inevitable is five syllables – in-ev-it-a-ble, and the pronunciation of inevitable is ɪnɛvɪtə-bəl. This word is sometimes thought to have a negative connotation but has different nuances depending on context. Something that is inevitable can certainly be a bad thing, but it can also be a good thing. It might be inevitable that a person is in poverty and has to work their way out of it, but it could also be inevitable that someone could be rich for their whole lives because of the family they are born into. Inevitable simply means unavoidable, and therefore can be a positive or a negative.
Many things can be inevitable, like an inevitable course of events, inevitable consequences, an inevitable conclusion, inevitable defeat, the inevitable closing of physical GameStop stores, an unavoidable event, an inevitable lesson learned on a characters’ journey, the inevitable commingling of two reality show crazes, an inevitable question, inevitable comparisons, inevitable rises in interest rates and job losses, the inevitable change of the seasons and their circumstances, inevitable disaster, the inevitable nuances of a natural consequence, a necessary result, the inevitable abortions with the absence of preventive methods of pregnancy, an inevitable punishment, incidental matters, a neutral sense of fate, inevitable destiny, and more.
Many different languages contain translations for the word inevitable. You may notice that some of the translations in the below list look and sound a lot like the word inevitable. These are called cognates, which are words and phrases that have a similar look, sound, and meaning across languages. These are often formed when two words have the same root or language of origin. This list of translations of the word inevitable is provided by Word Sense.
According to Etymonline, the word inevitable has been used since the mid-c15 Late Middle English. This comes from the Latin inevitabilis/Latin inēvītābilis, from the Latin in and Latin evitabilis/ēvītābilis. This comes from the Latin evitare/ēvītāre meaning to avoid, from the Latin ex and Latin vitare/vītāre meaning shun or go out of the way. The suffixes ity, ly, and ness can be added to the end of the word inevitable to form the related word forms inevitability (n., in-ev-i-ta-bil-i-ty) inevitable (adv.) and inevitableness (n.)
What are synonyms and antonyms of inevitable?
There are many different words that a person can use in place of the word inevitable. These are called synonyms. Learning synonyms is a great way to expand your English language vocabulary and avoid repeating yourself in spoken or written English. This list of synonyms of inevitable is provided by Power Thesaurus.
There are also numerous different words that mean the opposite of the word inevitable. These opposite words are known as antonyms. Learning antonyms is another great way to expand your English language vocabulary in a quick and easy way. This list of antonyms of the word inevitable is also provided by Power Thesaurus.
equivocal
optional
controllable
fitful
questionable
chancy
evitable
arbitrary
uncertain
dubious
unreliable
bewildering
unlikely
needless
carefully planned
avertible
capricious
avertable
unpredictable
unclear
preventable
alternate
dodgeable
dicey
capable of being prevented
mutable
possible to prevent
preventible
not bound to happen
skittish
scattered
hairy
hesitating
possible to sidestep
nonobligatory
inconstant
shilly-shallying
not certain to happen
not when but if
in the balance
queer as dick’s hatband
skippable
impossible
highly unlikely
possible to avoid
possible to run away from
possible to evade
not inevitable
hardly likely
open to question
shaky
iffy
hit-or-miss
possible to ignore
improbable
stoppable
stray
random
resistible
inconsistent
in doubt
speculative
pending
irregular
shilly-shally
omissible
haphazard
possible to skip
slapdash
possible to stop
incalculable
in limbo
nonmandatory
risky
mercurial
doubtful
can be avoided
fluctuant
fleeable
elidable
desultory
aimless
escapable
fluid
undecided
evadable
ambivalent
celestial
dodgy
fickle
erratic
unsure
fortuitous
debatable
fluctuating
changeable
changeful
as queer as dick’s hatband
avoidable
flickery
Overall, the word inevitable means unavoidable. This word is Latin in origin.
Kevin Miller is a growth marketer with an extensive background in Search Engine Optimization, paid acquisition and email marketing. He is also an online editor and writer based out of Los Angeles, CA. He studied at Georgetown University, worked at Google and became infatuated with English Grammar and for years has been diving into the language, demystifying the do's and don'ts for all who share the same passion! He can be found online here.
Kevin
September 9, 2021
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