Make Your Point: INEVITABLE

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pronounce INEVITABLE:

in EVV it uh bull

connect this word to others:

At first glance, the word inevitable looks easy to snap apart.

The prefix -in? Easy, that means "not."

The suffix -able? That means "able." Duh!

And that leaves... um... evit. What does it mean to evit something? Is that a word? Not in English. It traces back to the Latin evitare, meaning "to avoid;" you can break it down further into e-, meaning "out," and vitare, "to shun."

But there we have it: inevitable things are not able to be avoided. Not able to be shunned out or shunned away.

Much like inel___able things. Can you recall that close synonym? That one's based on the Latin luctari, meaning "to struggle." So, inel___able things are those that you can't struggle out of.

(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)

definition:

The word "inevitable" has Latin bits that literally mean "not able to be shunned out," or less literally, "not able to be avoided."

We've used it in English since the year 1430 or so.

Inevitable things can't be avoided: they're going to happen no matter what.

grammatical bits:

Part of speech:

Adjective: "inevitable consequences;" "These consequences were inevitable."

Other forms:

The adverb is "inevitably," as in "When you give them the bad news, they'll inevitably get upset."

The opposite of "inevitable" is "evitable," but we pretty much use that one just for humor and contrast. Here's Isaac Asimov: "Think, that for all time, all conflicts are finally evitable. Only the Machines, from now on, are inevitable!"

how to use it:

Pick the formal, serious, very common word "inevitable" when you want to emphasize that something will be happening, no matter how unpleasant it may be, and no matter what we might try to do to stop it.

That's often a pretty negative comment to make. We talk about inevitable losses, damages, disasters, and other bad outcomes.

But you could also strike a positive (and somewhat aggressive) tone by talking about inevitable triumphs.

examples:

"If [jockeys on horses] tip more than a few inches forward, a fall is almost inevitable."
— Laura Hillenbrand, Seabiscuit: An American Legend, 1999

"Mr. Wilson was re-elected on his platform promise to keep us out of war, and at the same time he was instructed to take a firm hand, which inevitably meant war."
— John Steinbeck, East of Eden, 1952

has this page helped you understand "inevitable"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "inevitable" without saying "inescapable" or "unpreventable."

try it out:

Sometimes, instead of talking about "the inevitable results" or "the inevitable consequences" in a certain situation, we leave out the noun and just talk about "the inevitable."

As in, "You can ask for an extension on your essay, but that only delays the inevitable."

Or, "A pet's life is only so long; you have to prepare yourself for the inevitable."

With those examples in mind, talk about a time you prepared yourself for the inevitable.

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game this month is "Market That Makeup!"

Check out the names given to the shades in a palette, and decide what to call the shade with the missing name. You might channel the vibe established by the other shade names, or just pick the weirdest or most grandiloquent name you can think of. To see the shade's real name—the one that the marketing team picked—scroll all the way down.

Try this last one today:

NABLA's "Secret Palette" includes shades like "Aesthetic," "Romeo," "Addiction," "I Promise," and "Creation Crown."

Invent a name for the shade in the middle row, far right:

(Source)

review this word:

1. The precise opposite of INEVITABLE is the rarely-used EVITABLE. But a pretty close opposite of INEVITABLE is

A. SOCIABLE.
B. CONCEIVABLE.
C. PREVENTABLE.

2. The word "inevitable" typically carries a _____ tone, describing things like _____.

A. positive .. music, surprises, and childhood
B. neutral .. work, weather, and cleanliness
C. negative .. war, injuries, decay, and death

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.

From my blog:
On vocabulary...
  36 ways to study words.
  Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
  How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
On writing...
How to improve any sentence.
How to motivate our kids to write.
How to stop procrastinating and start writing.
How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count.

From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.

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