ineluctable

adjective

in·​eluc·​ta·​ble ˌi-ni-ˈlək-tə-bəl 

: not to be avoided, changed, or resisted : inevitable

an ineluctable fate

ineluctability

ˌi-ni-ˌlək-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

ineluctably

ˌi-ni-ˈlək-tə-blē 

adverb

Did you know?

If you love grappling with language as much as we do, you’re sure to get a (flying) kick out of today’s word. Ineluctable, you see, has its roots in wrestling, a popular sport in ancient Greece and Rome. The Latin word luctator means “wrestler,” and luctari means “to wrestle,” as well as “to struggle, strive, or contend.” With the addition of e- (ex-) luctari became eluctari, meaning “to struggle clear of.” The negating prefix in- then piled on to form ineluctabilis, an adjective describing something that cannot be escaped or avoided. It is ineluctabilis that English speakers borrowed to form ineluctable, a word often used to describe fates that one cannot squirm free from, whether due to something as cosmic as the Fates themselves or as corporeal as a headlock.

Synonyms

• certain
• ineludible
• inescapable
• inevitable
• necessary
• sure
• unavoidable
• unescapable

Examples of ineluctable in a Sentence

the ineluctable approach of winter had many worried about the cost of heating their homes

Recent Examples on the Web

The meanings of these images—which speak variously of environmental collapse, policy failure, ineluctable helplessness—do not invite their use as objects of contemplation. —Teju Cole, The New Yorker, 10 Jan. 2025

The Reichstag fire burns in the distance, and precursors to Nazism are everywhere in evidence; the coming violence feels ineluctable. —Dan Piepenbring, Harper's Magazine, 2 Sep. 2024

Embarrassed by the scandal, the DOJ had no choice but to prosecute — but all the while knowing that a pardon was ineluctable. —The Editors, National Review, 2 Dec. 2024

It’s meant to provide an ineluctable link between the modern event and the ancient Greek original on which it was initially modelled. —Nicholas Paphitis, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin ineluctabilis, from in- + eluctari to struggle clear of, from ex- + luctari to struggle, wrestle; akin to Latin luxus dislocated — more at lock

First Known Use

circa 1623, in the meaning defined above

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