Make Your Point > Archived Issues > INELUCTABLE

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connect today's word to others: The ineluctable changing of the seasons. The ineluctable realities of death and taxes. The ineluctable lure of the dessert tray. Ineluctable literally means "not able to be struggled out of." Does it remind you of the word reluctant? When you're reluctant to do something (etymologically speaking), you're struggling against it. Both words come from the Latin luctari, meaning "to struggle." Speaking of struggles, let's recall these words: 1. H___scr_____: requiring a difficult, constant, desperate struggle. 2. Fl____er: to struggle with something in a clumsy, awkward way. 3. Ag____tic: struggling hard to compete or win. (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "INELUCTABLE" Something ineluctable can't be resisted or avoided or can't be escaped from. Pronunciation: in ih LUCK tuh bull Part of speech: Adjective. (Adjectives are describing words, like "large" or "late." They can be used in two ways: 1. Right before a noun, as in "an ineluctable thing." 2. After a linking verb, as in "It was ineluctable.") Other forms: ineluctably, ineluctability How to use it: Compared to its more common synonyms, "unavoidable," "inescapable," and "inevitable," our word "ineluctable" is rare--so you pick it when you need to place a special emphasis on just how real and certain something is. And because it literally means "unable to be struggled out of," you pick this word when you need to hint that someone is trying to struggle away from something--or, more playfully, that someone just cannot resist something. That might be a good thing: an ineluctable lure, draw, pull, or attraction; an ineluctable charm or spell; ineluctable strength, beauty, vigor, etc. But it's often a bad thing: ineluctable pain, ineluctable biases, the ineluctable weight of a prior tragedy, and so on. Otherwise, "ineluctable" is neutral: ineluctable truth, facts, logic, and realities; an ineluctable lesson learned; ineluctable necessities; ineluctable changes, cycles, processes, and consequences; and ineluctable differences, contradictions, and inconsistencies. examples: She often travels: she's drawn to Europe and its ineluctable charms. I reject the idea that fate is ineluctable, that if it's meant to be, it'll be. We captain our own souls. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "ineluctable" means when you can explain it without saying "unavoidable" or "inevitable." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "With (some excellent quality), (a particular writer or performer, or a particular book or show) held us in (his, her, or its) ineluctable grasp." Example: "With her joyful grin, and with her violin lovingly cradled, Lindsey Stirling held us in her ineluctable grasp." before you review: Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. Our game this month is called "Quirky Keepers."  We’ll play with a bunch of bizarre, oddly specific words—words that deserve a place in our vocabulary, even though they're too wacky and rare to explore in full issues of Make Your Point. (I found most of these words in Charles Harrington Elster’s outrageously entertaining book, There’s A Word For It: A Grandiloquent Guide to Life.) Our goal as we play is to squirrel the words away in our memories. So, in each issue, we’ll check out a word; in the following issue, I’ll give you a new example of that word, and you see if you can recall it. We’ll start with short words and work our way up to the six-, seven-, and eight-syllable doozies. See if you can recall the word from the previous issue: Your plans for tonight are simple: you're going to sit by the hearth, gaze into the fire, and enjoy the silence and the peace. What's the word for this wonderful activity? (It's two syllables, plus "-ing.") See the answer by scrolling all the way down. Today, let’s check out the word "belgard." From Italian words meaning "lovely look," a belgard is a loving look. In other words, it's a glance or a stare that's full of love or longing. Remember, in the next issue I’ll give you an example of a belgard, without mentioning the word—and you’ll try to recall it. That'll help you keep it in your memory. review today's word: 1. The exact opposite of INELUCTABLE would be ELUCTABLE, but that's not a word. So, a close opposite of INELUCTABLE is A. PREVENTABLE. B. DEFENSIBLE. C. OSTENSIBLE. 2. When you're speaking to a hostile audience, it's better to start with your observations and make your way to the ineluctable _____ that they don't want to hear, rather than vice versa. A. request B. conclusion C. guesses Answers are below. a final word: Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From Liesl's blog:    36 ways to study words.    Why we forget words, & how to remember them.    How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes. Answer to the game question: It's cloffinning. Answers to review questions: 1. A 2. B