evitable

adjective

ev·​i·​ta·​ble ˈe-və-tə-bəl How to pronounce evitable (audio)
: capable of being avoided

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British author T. S. Eliot once gave a lecture at Trinity College (Cambridge, England) in which he spoke about "the disintegration of the intellect" in 19th century Europe, saying, "The 'disintegration' of which I speak may be evitable or inevitable, good or bad; to draw its optimistic or pessimistic conclusions is an occupation for prophets . . . of whom I am not one." Evitable, though not common, has been in English since the beginning of the 16th century; it's often found paired with its opposite, inevitable, as in Eliot's passage as well as in this self-reflection by Liverpool Echo writer Gary Bainbridge in March of 2014: "I have been thinking about my inevitable death, and decided I would like to make it a bit more evitable." Both words were borrowed from similar Latin adjectives, which in turn are based on the verb evitare, which means "to avoid."

Examples of evitable in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
What seems to be an inevitable wonky phase for everyone who grows out a bob is apparently quite evitable for the superstar. Marci Robin, Allure, 12 June 2023

Word History

Etymology

Latin evitabilis, from evitare to avoid, from e- + vitare to shun

First Known Use

1502, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of evitable was in 1502

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Cite this Entry

“Evitable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/evitable. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

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