Polite expression used to convey that a situation is beyond one's control and must be accepted. Often used in formal apologies or explanations.
See also: やむを得ない
I was late due to traffic congestion, but it couldn't be helped.
このような結果になったことは、やむを得ません。
It is unavoidable that things turned out this way.
Standard polite negative form of やむを得ない, commonly used in formal speech and writing.
Kanji spelling using 止む; less common but acceptable in formal contexts.
Derived from the classical Japanese verb 止む (やむ, 'to stop') in its negative potential form, literally meaning 'cannot stop', which evolved into the set phrase 'cannot be helped'. The polite ending ません is added for formality.