Words / C2

in-i-LUKT-uh-bl/ˌɪnɪˈlʌktəbl/

Ineluctable means you cannot get out of it — inescapable, like a fact or a process. Inevitable is the usual, clearer cousin; unavoidable is everyday. Ineluctable is rare and rather grand: ageing as an ineluctable fact. In speech, always say inevitable or you cannot escape it, or you will sound as if you are translating from Latin for fun. Keep it for a deliberate, once-only effect on the page.

Meaning

Impossible to avoid; inescapable.

Examples

• “Ageing is an ineluctable fact of life.”
• “Loss is the ineluctable cost of attaching yourself to people.”
• “The plot treats war as ineluctable, which is a political choice.”

Good to know

Very formal for inescapable. Prefer inevitable in almost all writing. Everyday: unavoidable.

Near in meaning

inevitable

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