Definition
The inevitable is what cannot be escaped, however much we maneuver — from the Latin inevitabilis, 'un-avoid-able'. The word states certainty about the future: given how things stand, this outcome will arrive. It often carries a tone of resignation ('defeat seemed inevitable') and is just as often used with hindsight, when commentators declare that some collapse or triumph was inevitable all along.
Examples
- With both sides refusing to compromise, a long strike seemed inevitable.
- Some friction is inevitable when two companies with different cultures merge.
- Looking back, analysts argue the bank's collapse was inevitable after years of risky lending.
Synonyms
unavoidable · inescapable · certain · inexorable
In TOEFL & IELTS
A workhorse of IELTS Writing Task 2 concession paragraphs: 'While some job losses are inevitable, governments can soften the impact…'. TOEFL reading passages use it in historical arguments about whether events had to happen. The set phrases 'all but inevitable' and 'the inevitable consequence of' are worth lifting wholesale into essays.