inevitable
adjective
Did you know?
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 inevitable) of unluckinesse we be intangled.”
Synonyms
Examples of inevitable in a Sentence
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
Rebecca Santana, Fortune, 27 Nov. 2024
Democracy appeared ascendant, maybe even inevitable.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 27 Nov. 2024
The decision was inevitable since longstanding Justice Department policy says sitting presidents cannot face criminal prosecution.
—Alanna Durkin Richer, arkansasonline.com, 26 Nov. 2024
How to give a poor review well Sometimes, a poor review is inevitable.
—Mark C. Perna, Forbes, 25 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for inevitable 
Dictionary Entries Near inevitable
Cite this Entry
“Inevitable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inevitable. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
inevitable
adjective
Share