unavoidable
Americanadjective
adjective
-
unable to be avoided; inevitable
-
law not capable of being declared null and void
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of unavoidable
1570–80; un- 1 + avoidable ( def. )
Explanation
Use the adjective unavoidable to describe something that you can't escape or avoid. Going to your family reunion is unavoidable if there's no way for you to get out of it. Obligations are unavoidable, since they are responsibilities that have to be honored. Letting your grandmother pinch your cheek is unavoidable, and paying your rent is also unavoidable. As you get older, it's unavoidable that your knees will get stiffer — there is no way to avoid having this happen. Unavoidable comes from the verb avoid, which is rooted in the Anglo-French avoider, "to clear out or withdraw oneself."
Vocabulary lists containing unavoidable
"Core Curriculum: Introductory Craft Skills," Vocabulary from Module Four
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Shut Up, This Is Serious
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Merz welcomed Spahn's resignation, saying that the decision to step down was "right and unavoidable".
From Barron's ● Jul. 18, 2026
The researchers emphasize that contamination is not necessarily unavoidable.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 13, 2026
Modern technology has mostly worked to mitigate information asymmetries, but financial markets now operate at speeds that make transient information asymmetries unavoidable.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
Tim Cook, Apple's outgoing chief executive, had also hinted at the changes - telling the Wall Street Journal earlier in June that price increases were "unavoidable" due to the "unsustainable" situation around memory chips.
From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026
“Not very often. There are some things that are unavoidable, but we have this thing called the HUCK. You put a patch on, and you’re better within minutes.”
From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.