Basic Details
Word: Unavoidable
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Impossible to avoid or prevent; bound to happen.
Synonyms: inevitable, certain, inescapable
Antonyms: avoidable, preventable
How to Spell Unavoidable
Syllables: un - a - void - a - ble
Tricky part: It is un + avoid + able, so there is only one n at the start and the ending is -able, not -ible.
Watch out for: unavoidible, unnavoidable, unavoidabel
Memory tip: Build it in three bricks: un + avoid + able. You are not able to avoid it, and the word says exactly that.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The delay was unavoidable because a landslide had blocked the highway.
Example 2: Some mess is unavoidable when you paint a room.
Example 3: With two buses cancelled, missing the first period was unavoidable.
Fun Fact
Avoid comes from Old French esvuidier, to empty out, the same family as void, an empty space.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
unnavoidable
a) v
b) n
c) a
d) u
Show answer
b) n. The prefix un- simply sits before avoid, which starts with a vowel, so there is only one n.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word unavoidable as used in the sentence:
The doctor said the operation was unavoidable after the scan results came in.
a) preventable
b) inevitable
c) necessary
d) certain
Show answer
a) preventable. Inevitable, certain and necessary all agree with unavoidable; preventable means it could have been stopped.
Spell-o-Spell
Three of these words are spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word:
1. unavoidible 2. unbreakable 3. unforgettable 4. unbelievable
a) impossible to forget
b) not able to be broken
c) very hard to believe
d) impossible to stop from happening
Show answer
d) impossible to stop from happening. Avoid is a full English word, and full words usually take -able, not -ible.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. House rent is an unavoidable expense for a tenant because it ____.
a) must be paid every month
b) is always paid back
c) is shared with friends
d) can be skipped easily
Show answer
a) must be paid every month
2. For every living thing, ____ is unavoidable.
a) winning a prize
b) visiting the sea
c) learning to swim
d) growing older
Show answer
d) growing older
