# inevitable

/ˌɪˈnɛvətəbəɫ/ (US) · /ɪnˈɛvɪtəbəl/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/inevitable
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 2. predictable

adjective · CEFR C1 · Humorous

happening so often that you always expect it.

For teachers: predictable or occurring with such regularity that it is expected as a matter of course.

- After the long meeting, he made his inevitable joke about needing a coffee.
- The politician gave the inevitable speech about family values, which the press had heard dozens of times before.

### 3. an unavoidable event

noun · CEFR B2

a situation or event that you cannot stop from happening.

For teachers: an event or circumstance that is unavoidable. Often used with the definite article 'the'.

- Instead of fighting the changes at work, she finally accepted the inevitable.
- By delaying the announcement, the board was merely postponing the inevitable rather than solving the underlying financial crisis.

## Examples

- Change is an inevitable part of life.
- After the team lost their star player to injury, their defeat in the final seemed inevitable.
- The historian argued that the collapse of the empire was inevitable given the combination of internal corruption and external military pressure.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.