inevitable

adjective

in·​ev·​i·​ta·​ble i-ˈne-və-tə-bəl How to pronounce inevitable (audio)
: incapable of being avoided or evaded
an inevitable outcome
inevitability noun
inevitableness noun

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Absolutely Inevitable (Or Not)

Inevitable can occasionally be found used as a noun (“the inevitable had come to pass”), but more frequently it is encountered as an adjective. Some, in fact, would classify this word not only as an adjective, but as a special kind: the absolute adjective. Absolute adjectives permit little or no variation, and cannot (in the view of some) be used in the comparative or superlative form. For instance, a person may be dead or not, but cannot be the deadest among other dead people. This neat classification seems logical enough, yet it does not apply in all situations. After all, we often speak of things as dead in a non-biological sense; can a ball that is dead (not fully inflated) be deader than another ball? Of course it can. Similar attempts to impose the "absolute" label have been made in the case of inevitable. Some consider it improper to modify the word, arguing that “almost inevitable” is illogical. Yet these two words have been successfully paired together since at least 1576, when Abraham Flemming, in a translation of Cicero, wrote, “in what snares (almost ineuitable) of vnluckinesse we be intangled.”

Examples of inevitable in a Sentence

The captain of archers fidgeted and coughed and rolled his eyes at his men, as if such cupidity and dishonor were an inevitable but minor aspect of the human predicament … Michael Chabon, New York Times Magazine, 6 May 2007
In a society that has gold-plated everything from hubcaps to teeth, it was perhaps inevitable that someone would find a way to add some bling to bacteria. Zach Zorich, Discover, February 2006
The Vikings disappeared, but the Inuit survived, proving that human survival in Greenland was not impossible and the Vikings' disappearance not inevitable. Jared M. Diamond, Collapse, 2005
getting wet is inevitable if you are going to try to give your dog a bath
Recent Examples on the Web Headwinds from the struggling commercial real estate sector, stubbornly high interest rates that have led to unrealized losses, and the threat of skittish depositors after the rapid collapse of several regional lenders last March have led some experts to warn that more bank failures are inevitable. Dylan Sloan, Fortune, 14 Mar. 2024 Judging other people is inevitable; sharing those judgments on the internet is not. Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2024 But his collection of tens of thousands of signatures of support was a sharp reminder that while the result of the upcoming presidential election in Russia may be inevitable, Putin’s popularity among ordinary Russians could eventually face a serious challenge. Matthew Chance, CNN, 12 Mar. 2024 Aging is a privilege, and aging is also inevitable. Angela Andaloro, Peoplemag, 12 Mar. 2024 Saturday Night Live mocking Joe Biden’s State of the Union address was inevitable. Shania Russell, EW.com, 10 Mar. 2024 Given the record-breaking, billion-dollar box office total of the original, a sequel to The Super Mario Bros. Movie was inevitable; the film even teased the next one with a post-credits scene featuring a Yoshi egg. Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 10 Mar. 2024 This was inevitable—a direct result of the Federal Reserve hiking interest rates to fight inflation, and keeping them elevated for months on end. Samanth Subramanian, Quartz, 9 Mar. 2024 In this candid session, Dixon and Butler addressed the tough realities of entrepreneurship: the importance of rest for fostering creativity, the challenges of fundraising and inevitable rejections, and the harsh truths of scaling a business. Ruhama Wolle, Glamour, 29 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'inevitable.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin inevitabilis, from in- + evitabilis evitable

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of inevitable was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near inevitable

Cite this Entry

“Inevitable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inevitable. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

inevitable

adjective
in·​ev·​i·​ta·​ble in-ˈev-ət-ə-bəl How to pronounce inevitable (audio)
: impossible to avoid or evade : sure to happen : certain
the inevitable result
inevitableness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on inevitable

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