expression
A slightly formal or literary alternative to やむを得ない, used to express that a situation is inevitable or beyond one's control. Often appears in set phrases like やむを得ぬ事情.
See also: やむを得ない
やむを得ぬ事情で欠席します。
I will be absent due to unavoidable circumstances.
この決定はやむを得ぬものだった。
This decision was unavoidable.
More common and slightly less formal than やむを得ぬ; both mean 'unavoidable', but やむを得ぬ is often used in written or formal contexts.
Derived from the verb 止む (to stop) in its negative form 止まない (does not stop) combined with 得ない (cannot obtain/achieve), literally meaning 'cannot stop it'. The form やむを得ぬ is a classical negative of 得る, equivalent to modern やむを得ない.