unavoidable

unavoidable — adjective

1. Something that is unavoidable cannot be stopped or changed, because it will cert

1.adjectiveC1
Definition

Something that is unavoidable cannot be stopped or changed, because it will certainly happen no matter what you do.

Example

The factory closure was unavoidable after the company lost so much money.

be + unavoidable (predicative pattern)

Tuan's meeting with the school principal was unavoidable after he skipped class again.

Common collocations
  • unavoidable delay
  • unavoidable closure
  • unavoidable consequence
  • unavoidable change
  • proved unavoidable
  • seems unavoidable
Synonyms
  • inevitable

    More formal and philosophical; suggests events that are part of a fixed chain of cause and effect

  • inescapable

    Stronger emotional tone, suggesting something oppressive or troubling that cannot be avoided

  • certain

    Broader in meaning; simply indicates something is sure to happen without focusing on prevention

Antonyms
  • avoidable

    Direct opposite; can be prevented by taking action

  • preventable

    Specifically about stopping something before it happens

Grammar Patterns

be + unavoidable

unavoidable + noun

Usage Note

Often used with nouns describing negative or unwanted events, such as delay, closure, conflict, change, or consequence. Can appear either before a noun (attributive) or after a linking verb (predicative).

Common Mistakes

He unavoidable arrived late due to traffic.
His late arrival was unavoidable due to traffic.
'unavoidable' is an adjective, not an adverb; use 'unavoidably' for adverbs.
The bad weather made the trip cancellation was unavoidable.
The bad weather made the trip cancellation unavoidable.
after 'make' + object, use the adjective directly without 'was.'

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe something that is sure to happen, but they carry different shades of meaning. Unavoidable focuses on practical impossibility—no matter what you try, you cannot prevent the event (e.g., 'The job cuts were unavoidable after the fire destroyed the factory.'). Inevitable has a more philosophical or fatalistic tone, suggesting events that belong to a fixed chain of cause and effect, such as 'the inevitable passage of time.' Inescapable adds emotional weight, often describing something uncomfortable or oppressive that you cannot get away from, like 'an inescapable truth' or 'an inescapable sense of guilt.' Certain is the broadest and weakest of the group; it simply means something is known to be true or sure to happen, without focusing on whether it can be stopped. A useful test: if you can say 'nothing could stop it,' choose unavoidable; if you mean 'it was bound to happen eventually,' choose inevitable; if the situation feels oppressive, choose inescapable.

unavoidable ↗inevitable ↗inescapablecertain ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • almost unavoidable
  • virtually unavoidable
  • seemingly unavoidable
  • logically unavoidable

Phrases

  • an unavoidable part of
  • it is unavoidable that

Prepositions

  • unavoidable for
  • unavoidable in

Etymology

Old EnglishOld FrenchLatinEnglish

Formed by combining the Old English negative prefix 'un-' (meaning 'not') with 'avoid' (from Old French 'esvuidier', meaning 'to empty out'—from Latin 'ex-' 'out' + 'vacuus' 'empty') and the suffix '-able' (from Latin '-abilis', indicating ability). The word literally means 'not able to be emptied out or evaded.' Its modern meaning of 'something that cannot be prevented' was well established by the 1600s.