unavoidable costs

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "unavoidable costs" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when referring to expenses that cannot be avoided or eliminated in a particular situation or context. Example: "In any business venture, there are certain unavoidable costs that must be factored into the budget."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

27 human-written examples

The aim is to end misleading promotions in which ultra-low air ticket prices are highlighted, leaving out extra unavoidable costs which travellers must pay.

Independent

He said that unavoidable costs might be considered problematic, but in the present case, he said, the plaintiffs had chosen an expensive legal theory.

The New York Times

This has unavoidable costs in terms of the fitness of the irradiated insects and the financial requirements of constructing and operating the radiation facility.

Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Remember, it is supposed to be "insurance," a term implying that those of us lucky enough to have good health should share the unavoidable costs faced by those who have chronic health problems.

The New York Times

The General Accounting Office, the auditing arm of Congress, has prepared a list of "unavoidable costs" facing the Government, from repairing deficient bridges and highways to modernizing the air traffic control system to cleaning and modernizing troubled nuclear weapons plants.

The New York Times

Juran observed that quality could be understood in terms of avoidable and unavoidable costs: the former resulted from defects and product failures like scrapped materials or labor hours required for rework, repair, and complaint processing; the latter were associated with prevention, i.e., inspection, sampling, sorting, and other quality control initiatives.

Harvard Business Review

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

33 human-written examples

Carbon emissions have an unavoidable cost.

The Guardian

These risks should not be accepted as an unavoidable cost of the deal.

The Washington Post

For years, the government had downplayed the severity of environmental pollution, describing it as an unavoidable cost of growth.

The New Yorker

She is spending around £125 a week on the expensive, but unavoidable, cost of storage for all her belongings.

The Guardian

Getting close to the sullied political leadership in Illinois was probably an unavoidable cost of winning the U.S. Senate seat.

The New Yorker

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When discussing budget planning, use "unavoidable costs" to clearly identify expenses that must be accommodated. This helps to differentiate these from discretionary spending, facilitating more effective financial management.

Common error

Don't only focus on direct expenses labeled as "unavoidable costs". Consider indirect costs that are essentially mandatory due to legal or operational requirements. Neglecting these can lead to budget shortfalls.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "unavoidable costs" functions primarily as a noun phrase. It typically acts as the subject, object, or complement in a sentence, referring to expenses that cannot be avoided. Ludwig AI confirms that this phrase is correct and usable in written English.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

37%

Science

37%

Formal & Business

26%

Less common in

Wiki

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "unavoidable costs" is a common and grammatically correct noun phrase used to describe expenses that cannot be avoided. As Ludwig AI indicates, it’s applicable in numerous contexts, from news and media to scientific and formal business settings. The phrase is most often found in discussions about finance, budgeting, and economics, where distinguishing between essential and discretionary spending is crucial. While alternatives like "inescapable expenses" or "mandatory expenses" exist, "unavoidable costs" remains a clear and widely understood way to identify necessary expenditures.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

inescapable expenses

Focuses on the inevitability of the expenses, emphasizing that they cannot be escaped.

unavoidable expenditures

Replaces "costs" with "expenditures", which is a more formal term for spending money.

mandatory expenses

Emphasizes that the costs are required or obligatory.

necessary outlays

Replaces "costs" with "outlays", referring to the act of spending money, and "unavoidable" with "necessary".

fixed overheads

Specifically refers to business-related costs that remain constant regardless of production levels.

inevitable financial burdens

Highlights the financial burden aspect of the unavoidable costs.

non-discretionary spending

Focuses on the spending aspect, highlighting that it's not optional.

committed costs

Emphasizes that the costs are already committed and cannot be changed.

regulatory compliance costs

Specifies the type of unavoidable costs that are associated with meeting regulatory requirements.

uncontrollable expenses

Focuses on the lack of control over these expenses.

FAQs

How can I use "unavoidable costs" in a sentence?

You can use "unavoidable costs" to describe expenses that cannot be avoided, such as "Taxes and utilities are "unavoidable costs" for any business."

What are some alternatives to "unavoidable costs"?

Alternatives to "unavoidable costs" include "inescapable expenses", "mandatory expenses", or "necessary outlays".

What's the difference between "unavoidable costs" and "discretionary expenses"?

"Unavoidable costs" are expenses that must be paid, while "discretionary expenses" are optional and can be reduced or eliminated.

Are "unavoidable costs" always fixed, or can they vary?

"Unavoidable costs" can be both fixed and variable. Fixed costs remain constant, while "variable costs" fluctuate depending on usage or other factors, but both are considered unavoidable.