French word

inéluctable

Pronunciation

IPA/inelyktabl/

Meaning

  • adjectiveinevitable

Example

C'est inéluctable.

It is inevitable.

Illustration for inéluctable (inevitable)

More examples

Si on ignore le problème, il peut devenir inéluctable.

If we ignore the problem, it may become inevitable.

Core concept

A force or event that no resistance can stop from happening.

Common phrases

  • devenir inéluctable

    become inevitable

  • se révéler inéluctable

    prove inevitable

Similar words

inévitable: Sure to happen, with no way to prevent it.

Definition in French

Qui ne peut pas être évité; qui se produira quoi qu'on fasse.

Word origin

French inéluctable comes from Latin ineluctabilis, formed with in- 'not' and eluctari 'to struggle free', expressing something that cannot be escaped.

Usage tips

  • Inéluctable is more formal and literary than inévitable, and often presents an outcome as historically or fatefully unavoidable.

Opposites

  • évitableavoidableadjective

Related words

  • inéluctablementinevitablyadverb

Word lists with this word