Standard Lemma guide

unavoidable

adj · noun · 4 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.

  • /ˌʌnəˈvɔɪdəbəl/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: AH2 N AH0 V OY1 D AH0 B AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Impossible to avoid; bound to happen.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • an unavoidable urge

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Not voidable; incapable of being made null or void.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: law

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Something that cannot be avoided.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective satellite

Meaning 4

impossible to avoid or evade:

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • inescapable conclusion
  • an ineluctable destiny
  • an unavoidable accident

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: ineluctable, inescapable

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Middle English unavoidable, equivalent to un- + avoidable.

Across languages

Translations

53 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: وَاجِب (wājib) — impossible to avoid
  • Belarusian: непазбе́жны (njepazbjéžny) — impossible to avoid
  • Belarusian: няміну́чы (njaminúčy) — impossible to avoid
  • Bengali: ওয়াজিব (ōẇajibo) — impossible to avoid
  • Catalan: inevitable — impossible to avoid
  • Chinese Mandarin: 不可避免的 (bùkě bìmiǎn de) — impossible to avoid
  • Chinese Mandarin: 免不了 (miǎnbuliǎo) — impossible to avoid
  • Czech: nevyhnutelný — impossible to avoid
  • Danish: uundgåelig — impossible to avoid
  • Dutch: onvermijdelijk — impossible to avoid
  • Dutch: onontkoombaar — impossible to avoid
  • Estonian: vältimatu — impossible to avoid
  • Faroese: óundansleppandi — impossible to avoid
  • Faroese: óundankomandi — impossible to avoid
  • Finnish: väistämätön — impossible to avoid
  • French: inévitable — impossible to avoid
  • Galician: inevitable — impossible to avoid
  • Galician: inevitábel — impossible to avoid
  • German: unausweichlich — impossible to avoid
  • German: unvermeidlich — impossible to avoid
  • German: unvermeidbar — impossible to avoid
  • Greek: αναπόφευκτος (anapófefktos) — impossible to avoid
  • Greek: άφευκτος (áfefktos) — impossible to avoid
  • Ancient Greek: ἀναπόδραστος (anapódrastos) — impossible to avoid
  • Hebrew: בלתי־נמנע (biltí-nimná) — impossible to avoid
  • Hindi: अपरिहार्य (aprihārya) — impossible to avoid
  • Hungarian: elkerülhetetlen — impossible to avoid
  • Icelandic: óumflýjanlegur — impossible to avoid
  • Italian: inevitabile — impossible to avoid
  • Japanese: 不可避な (fukahi na) — impossible to avoid
  • Japanese: やむを得ない (yamu wo enai) — impossible to avoid
  • Khmer: ដែលមិនអាចជៀសផុត (dael mɨn aac cieh phot) — impossible to avoid
  • Latin: inevitabilis — impossible to avoid
  • Latvian: nenovēršams — impossible to avoid
  • Latvian: neizbēgams — impossible to avoid
  • Old English: unforbugendlic — impossible to avoid
  • Persian: اجتنابناپذیر (ejtenâb-nâpazir) — impossible to avoid
  • Polish: nieunikniony — impossible to avoid
  • Portuguese: inevitável — impossible to avoid
  • Portuguese: incontornável — impossible to avoid
  • Romanian: inevitabil — impossible to avoid
  • Romanian: de neocolit — impossible to avoid
  • Russian: неизбе́жный (neizbéžnyj) — impossible to avoid
  • Russian: немину́емый (neminújemyj) — impossible to avoid
  • Russian: неотврати́мый (neotvratímyj) — impossible to avoid
  • Russian: непредотврати́мый (nepredotvratímyj) — impossible to avoid
  • Scottish Gaelic: do-sheachanta — impossible to avoid
  • Slovak: nevyhnutný — impossible to avoid
  • Spanish: impajaritable — impossible to avoid
  • Ukrainian: немину́чий (nemynúčyj) — impossible to avoid
  • Welsh: anochel — impossible to avoid
  • Welsh: anocheladwy — impossible to avoid
  • Welsh: anorfod — impossible to avoid