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eventual

adj.
US //əˈvɛntʃuəɫ// UK //ɪvˈɛntʃuːəl// even·tu·al
  1. 1 final result (adj.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Academic

    happening at the end of a long period of time or a complicated process.

    occurring at the end of a process or period of time; often used to describe a result that was expected or inevitable.

    Example

    After many delays, the eventual opening of the new bridge was a huge relief.

    Example

    Despite the initial setbacks and funding gaps, the eventual success of the research project proved the validity of the team's original hypothesis.

    Usage

    This adjective is non-gradable and almost always appears before the noun it describes.

    Teacher's tip

    This is a major false friend for speakers of Germanic and Romance languages, who often use it to mean 'possible' or 'perhaps'. Emphasize that in English, it implies the event definitely happened or will happen.
    Pitfall
    The eventual success of the project is possible.
    The potential success of the project is possible.

    In English, 'eventual' means something will definitely happen at the end. It is a false friend with words in other languages (like 'eventuell') that mean 'possible'.

Origin

From event + -ual; compare French éventuel. The third sense is influenced by any of several European languages, including German eventuell, French éventuel, Italian eventuale, Spanish eventual, Swedish eventuell.

Word family

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