unavoidable

[ uhn-uh-voi-duh-buhl ]

adjective

1. unable to be avoided; inevitable:

   an unavoidable delay.

   Synonyms: unpreventable, certain, sure, fated, inescapable

unavoidable

/ ˌʌnəˈvɔɪdəbəl /

adjective

1. unable to be avoided; inevitable
2. law not capable of being declared null and void

Derived Forms

• ˌunaˈvoidably, adverb
• ˌunaˌvoidaˈbility, noun

Other Words From

• una·voida·bili·ty una·voida·ble·ness noun
• una·voida·bly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of unavoidable¹

1570–80; un- ¹ + avoidable ( def )

Example Sentences

Gauke told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that this autumn's crisis release of prisoners was unavoidable for the new Labour government because of "the circumstances they inherited".

From BBC

“Permanently posting the Ten Commandments in every Louisiana public-school classroom—rendering them unavoidable—unconstitutionally pressures students into religious observance, veneration, and adoption of the state’s favored religious scripture,” the parents wrote in their court filing.

From Salon

“Setbacks are unavoidable, but giving up is unforgivable.”

From Salon

Whether the Democrats should divorce themselves from Wall Street and Silicon Valley and rebrand as a multiracial social-democratic alliance focused on economic justice, or push into the space abandoned by Republicans on the center-right and become a pro-business, pro-military “Cold War liberal” outfit, is an enormous and ultimately unavoidable question.

From Salon

Instead, the FAA says achieving this will require developing airplane technology that emits less, reducing the amount of fuel burned through better air traffic management, and ultimately investing in carbon capture technology to offset the unavoidable emissions.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• certain
• inescapable
• inevitable
• necessary
• obligatory