evitable

American  

[ev-i-tuh-buhl] / ˈɛv ɪ tə bəl /

adjective

1. capable of being avoided; avoidable.

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evitable British  

/ ˈɛvɪtəbəl /

adjective

1. rare able to be avoided

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Etymology

Origin of evitable

From the Latin word ēvītābilis, dating back to 1495–1505. See evite, -able

Explanation

If it's possible to avoid something, you can describe it as evitable. Unless you live in Antarctica or some deserts, rain is definitely not evitable. The antonym of this word, inevitable, is far more common, and etymologists are fairly certain it came first. Today, it's rare to hear something described as evitable, but feel free to use it for anything that can be dodged or averted. Meeting your exact look-alike is probably evitable, unless you're an identical twin. Some people would say the only things that aren't evitable are death and taxes.

Example Sentences

There was the evitable post-tournament press conference and Angelo, who had come so far to take the title of America's Worst Avid Golfer, was asked what he was going to do next.

From Golf Digest • Apr. 16, 2020

That’s exactly what happened when the outcome was the evitable one instead, only with the roles reversed.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 10, 2016

But it turns out that "evitable" is a real word in the English language.

From BBC • Feb. 8, 2016

With Mercola and Hennart to guide him, Bilton reaches the entirely evitable conclusion that cellphones might be dangerous, and Apple Watches, too.

From Slate • Mar. 19, 2015

An event that would be unthinkable in a hundred years may be in- evitable in a hundred million.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan