Standard Lemma guide

inescapable

adj · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Mid-Atlantic, US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: IH2 N IH0 S K EY1 P AH0 B AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Impossible (unable) to avoid or escape; not escapable.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: inevitable, unescapable, avoidless, certain, fatal, foregone, impreventable, ineluctable, inescapable, inexorable, irresistible, natural, necessary, predictable, unavoidable, unforestallable, unpreventable

Antonyms: escapable, evitable

2

adjective satellite

Meaning 2

impossible to avoid or evade:

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • inescapable conclusion
  • an ineluctable destiny
  • an unavoidable accident

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: ineluctable, unavoidable

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Italic *n̥- Latin in-bor. Middle English in- English in- English escape Proto-Indo-European *-tḗr Proto-Indo-European *-dhlom Proto-Indo-European *-dhlis Proto-Italic *-ðlis Latin -bilis Latin -ābilis Old French -ablebor. Middle English -able English -able English escapable English inescapable From in- + escapable.

Across languages

Translations

27 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Dutch: onontkoombaar — impossible (unable) to avoid or escape
  • Dutch: onvermijdelijk — impossible (unable) to avoid or escape
  • Finnish: vääjäämätön — impossible (unable) to avoid or escape
  • French: inévitable — impossible (unable) to avoid or escape
  • French: inéluctable — impossible (unable) to avoid or escape
  • German: unausweichlich — impossible (unable) to avoid or escape
  • German: unentrinnbar — impossible (unable) to avoid or escape
  • German: unumgänglich — impossible (unable) to avoid or escape
  • German: unvermeidlich — impossible (unable) to avoid or escape
  • Greek: αναπόφευκτος (anapófefktos) — impossible (unable) to avoid or escape
  • Greek: αναπόδραστος (anapódrastos) — impossible (unable) to avoid or escape
  • Greek: άφευκτος (áfefktos) — impossible (unable) to avoid or escape
  • Ancient Greek: ἄφυκτος (áphuktos) — impossible (unable) to avoid or escape
  • Japanese: 逃げられない (nigerarenai) — impossible (unable) to avoid or escape
  • Latin: inēluctābilis — impossible (unable) to avoid or escape
  • Manx: neuscapailagh — impossible (unable) to avoid or escape
  • Portuguese: inevitável — impossible (unable) to avoid or escape
  • Portuguese: incontornável — impossible (unable) to avoid or escape
  • Russian: неизбе́жный (neizbéžnyj) — impossible (unable) to avoid or escape
  • Russian: неотвратимый (neotvratimyj) — impossible (unable) to avoid or escape
  • Russian: неизбывный (neizbyvnyj) — impossible (unable) to avoid or escape
  • Spanish: inevitable — impossible (unable) to avoid or escape
  • Spanish: insoslayable — impossible (unable) to avoid or escape
  • Ukrainian: немину́чий (nemynúčyj) — impossible (unable) to avoid or escape
  • Ukrainian: невідворо́тний (nevidvorótnyj) — impossible (unable) to avoid or escape
  • Ukrainian: неуникни́й (neunyknýj) — impossible (unable) to avoid or escape
  • Ukrainian: неуникне́нний (neunyknénnyj) — impossible (unable) to avoid or escape