Meanings
inevitable1
comparative more inevitable · superlative most inevitable
- Impossible to avoid or prevent.
We were going so fast that the collision was inevitable.
2 more examples
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 xvTo 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 99Synonyms: inescapable, natural, necessary
- Predictable or always happening.
My outburst met with the inevitable punishment.
2 more examples
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 GirlEvery 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
plural inevitables
- Something that is predictable, necessary, or cannot be avoided.
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 Star1 more example
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
Inevitable2
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveImpossible to avoid or prevent.
antonym(s) of
More synonyms by meaning
adjectiveincapable of being avoided or prevented
adjectiveinvariably occurring or appearing
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latininēvītābilis“unavoidable”
- Middle Frenchinevitable
- Englishinevitable
From Middle French inevitable, from Latin inēvītābilis (“unavoidable”), from in- + ēvītābilis (“avoidable”), from ēvītāre (“to avoid”), from ē- (“out”) + vītāre (“to shun”).
More words from Middle French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek ἄφυκτος, ἀνέκφευκτος
- ἄφυκτος (áphuktos)impossible to avoid or prevent
- ἀνέκφευκτος (anékpheuktos)impossible to avoid or prevent
Arabic حَتْمِيّ, سورة الواقعة
- حَتْمِيّ (ḥatmiyy)impossible to avoid or prevent
- سورة الواقعة56th sura of the Qur'an
Bengali অনিবার্য
- অনিবার্য (onibarjo)impossible to avoid or prevent
Bulgarian неизбе́жен
- неизбе́жен (neizbéžen)impossible to avoid or prevent
Catalan inevitable
- inevitableimpossible to avoid or prevent
Chinese Mandarin 不可避免, 總會 /总会
- 不可避免 (bùkě bìmiǎn)impossible to avoid or prevent
- 總會 /总会 (zǒnghuì)impossible to avoid or prevent
- 無可避免 /无可避免 (wúkě bìmiǎn)impossible to avoid or prevent
Czech nevyhnutelný, zákonitý
- nevyhnutelnýimpossible to avoid or prevent
- zákonitýpredictable, or always happening
- očekávatelnýpredictable, or always happening
- předvídatelnýpredictable, or always happening
Danish uundgåelig, nødvendig
- uundgåeligimpossible to avoid or prevent
- nødvendigimpossible to avoid or prevent
Dutch onvermijdelijk, onafwendbaar
- onvermijdelijkimpossible to avoid or prevent
- onafwendbaarimpossible to avoid or prevent
- voorspelbaarpredictable, or always happening
Esperanto neevitebla
- neeviteblaimpossible to avoid or prevent
Estonian vältimatu
- vältimatuimpossible to avoid or prevent
Finnish väistämätön, vääjäämätön
- väistämätönimpossible to avoid or prevent
- vääjäämätönimpossible to avoid or prevent
- välttämätönimpossible to avoid or prevent
- ennalta arvattavapredictable, or always happening
French inévitable, inévitable
- inévitableimpossible to avoid or prevent
- inévitablepredictable, or always happening
German unvermeidlich, unabwendbar
- unvermeidlichimpossible to avoid or prevent
- unabwendbarimpossible to avoid or prevent
- zwangsläufigpredictable, or always happening
Greek αναπόφευκτος
- αναπόφευκτος (anapófefktos)impossible to avoid or prevent
Hindi अटल, अपरिहार्य
- अटल (aṭal)impossible to avoid or prevent
- अपरिहार्य (aprihārya)impossible to avoid or prevent
- अनिवार्य (anivārya)impossible to avoid or prevent
- अवश्यंभावी (avaśyambhāvī)impossible to avoid or prevent
- नागुज़ीर (nāguzīr)impossible to avoid or prevent
- लाज़िम (lāzim)impossible to avoid or prevent
- लाज़िमी (lāzimī)impossible to avoid or prevent
Hungarian elkerülhetetlen
- elkerülhetetlenimpossible to avoid or prevent
Icelandic óhjákvæmilegur, óumflýjanlegur
- óhjákvæmilegurimpossible to avoid or prevent
- óumflýjanlegurimpossible to avoid or prevent
Italian inevitabile, inevitabile
- inevitabileimpossible to avoid or prevent
- inevitabilepredictable, or always happening
Japanese 不可避の, 避けられない
- 不可避の (fukahi no)impossible to avoid or prevent
- 避けられない (sakerarenai)impossible to avoid or prevent
- 必至の (hisshi no)predictable, or always happening
- 必然の (hitsuzen no)predictable, or always happening
- 当然の (tōzen no)predictable, or always happening
- 確実な (kakujitsu na)predictable, or always happening
Korean 피할 수 없는
- 피할 수 없는 (pihal su eomneun)impossible to avoid or prevent
Latin inevitabilis
- inevitabilisimpossible to avoid or prevent
Norwegian Bokmål uunngåelig, nødvendig
- uunngåeligimpossible to avoid or prevent
- nødvendigimpossible to avoid or prevent
Persian حتمی, حتمیالوقوع
- حتمی (hatmi)impossible to avoid or prevent
- حتمیالوقوع (hatmi-ol-voqu')impossible to avoid or prevent
- ناگزیر (nâgozir)impossible to avoid or prevent
Polish nieuchronny, nieunikniony
- nieuchronnyimpossible to avoid or prevent
- nieuniknionyimpossible to avoid or prevent
- przewidywalnypredictable, or always happening
Portuguese inevitável
- inevitávelimpossible to avoid or prevent
Romanian inevitabil, neocolibil
- inevitabilimpossible to avoid or prevent
- neocolibilimpossible to avoid or prevent
- inevitabilpredictable, or always happening
Russian неизбе́жный, немину́емый
- неизбе́жный (neizbéžnyj)impossible to avoid or prevent
- немину́емый (neminújemyj)impossible to avoid or prevent
- неотврати́мый (neotvratímyj)impossible to avoid or prevent
- неизбе́жный (neizbéžnyj)predictable, or always happening
- немину́емый (neminújemyj)predictable, or always happening
Slovak neodvratný
- neodvratnýimpossible to avoid or prevent
Spanish inevitable
- inevitableimpossible to avoid or prevent
Swedish oundviklig, ofrånkomlig
- oundvikligimpossible to avoid or prevent
- ofrånkomligimpossible to avoid or prevent
- oundgängligimpossible to avoid or prevent
Tamil இன்றியமையாதது
- இன்றியமையாதது (iṉṟiyamaiyātatu)impossible to avoid or prevent
Turkish kaçınılmaz
- kaçınılmazimpossible to avoid or prevent
Ukrainian немину́чий, невідворо́тний
- немину́чий (nemynúčyj)impossible to avoid or prevent
- невідворо́тний (nevidvorótnyj)impossible to avoid or prevent
Urdu ناگزیر, اٹل
- ناگزیر (nāguzīr)impossible to avoid or prevent
- اٹل (aṭal)impossible to avoid or prevent
Cite this entry
inevitable. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/inevitable
“inevitable.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/inevitable. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “inevitable,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/inevitable.
Source: inevitable on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.