in ‧ ev ‧ i ‧ ta ‧ ble W3 AC /ɪˈnevətəb ə l, ɪˈnevɪtəb ə l/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ inevitability ; adverb : ↑ inevitably ; adjective : ↑ inevitable ]
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: inevitabilis , from evitare 'to avoid' ]
1 . certain to happen and impossible to avoid:
A further escalation of the crisis now seems inevitable.
it is inevitable (that)
It’s inevitable that doctors will make the occasional mistake.
inevitable consequence/result
Disease was an inevitable consequence of poor living conditions.
2 . the inevitable a situation that is certain to happen:
One day the inevitable happened and I got a speeding ticket.
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THESAURUS
▪ certain if something is certain, you are completely sure that it will happen or is true:
Success seems certain.
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It is almost certain that there will be a change of government.
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Nobody knows exactly who built the manor, but it is certain that an architect called John Sturges supplied the drawings.
▪ definite if something is definite, it is certain because someone has officially stated that it will happen, is true etc:
I hope you can give me a definite answer soon.
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The wedding will be next summer but a definite date has not been arranged yet.
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I’ve got a good chance of getting the job, but it’s not definite yet.
▪ inevitable if something, especially something bad, is inevitable, it is certain to happen and you cannot do anything to prevent it:
War now seems inevitable.
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It was inevitable that he would find out her secret sooner or later.
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Facial wrinkles are the inevitable result of aging.
▪ be bound to if something is bound to happen, it is very likely to happen, especially because that is what usually happens in that kind of situation. Be bound to is less formal than certain and is very common in everyday spoken English:
The kids are bound to be hungry when they get home – they always are.
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My car broke down today. It was bound to happen sooner or later.
▪ be assured of something formal to be certain to get something good, or to be successful:
After the success of its recent single, the band is now assured of a contract with a major record company.
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He is is virtually assured of becoming the next prime minister.
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Our clients are assured of comfortable accommodation and the attention of our trained staff.
▪ something is a foregone conclusion if something is a foregone conclusion, its result is certain even though it has not happened yet:
They were winning by such a large margin that victory seemed to be a foregone conclusion.
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Party members believe it is a foregone conclusion that he will resign.