irrecoverable

adjective

ˌir-i-ˈkə-v(ə-)rə-bəl How to pronounce irrecoverable (audio)
Definition of irrecoverablenext
1
as in hopeless
not capable of being cured or reformed unfortunately, he was destined to live out his days as an irrecoverable alcoholic

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in irreversible
not capable of being repaired, regained, or undone one computer file proved to be irrecoverable after the crash

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of irrecoverable Countless documents were left lying out in the open and quickly became irrecoverable. — Amer Matar, The Dial, 26 May 2026 An irrecoverable loss of the entirety of our personal data. — Shannon Bond, NPR, 11 Mar. 2026 Broadly speaking, this is probably not irrecoverable damage to the ecosystem. — Shaun McKinnon, AZCentral.com, 5 Jan. 2026 Crestfallen fans have begun demanding refunds for hundreds of dollars in ticket purchases to defray irrecoverable travel and lodging costs. — Jia H. Jung, Mercury News, 11 July 2025 Customs Duties are irrecoverable whereas VAT paid by a business can in principle be reclaimed, but not always. — Robert Marchant, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025 At the same time, much of the world is facing water bankruptcy, meaning people and industries are using more fresh water than nature can replenish, leading to irrecoverable ecosystem damages. — Abraham Nunbogu, Fortune, 29 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for irrecoverable
  1. hopeless
  2. irreversible
  3. irretrievable
  4. irreparable
  5. unrecoverable
  6. incurable
Adjective
  • The 41-year-old Portuguese footballer managed to put two past a hopeless Uzbekistan, becoming the first player to score in six consecutive World Cups.
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 29 June 2026
  • The conflict feels contemporary without growing too cynical, and the core relationship stakes seem real without skewing hopeless.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 19 June 2026
Definition of hopeless
Adjective
  • Patients with incurable or irreversible conditions will no longer have to certify annually.
    — Christopher Harris, CBS News, 29 June 2026
  • Adding a requirement for explicit user confirmation when sensitive or irreversible actions are about to be taken.
    — Paul Monckton, Forbes.com, 27 June 2026
Definition of irreversible
Adjective
  • The message had found us, against steep odds, but the meaning was irretrievable.
    — Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 27 Apr. 2026
  • For Isaac, the film also captures something irretrievable.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 18 Mar. 2026
Definition of irretrievable
Adjective
  • The lawsuit states that Kuka has singlehandedly caused irreparable harm to Boca View by refusing to abide by Florida law and the association’s own bylaws in order to further her self-serving agenda.
    — Nicole R. Kurtz, Miami Herald, 1 July 2026
  • And there’s no guarantee that Illinois would grant the license, threatening irreparable harms, including income and reputation loss, Kalshi argued.
    — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 29 June 2026
Definition of irreparable
Adjective
  • The business also has made Space Shuttle drag parachutes for the orbiter, and parachutes that deploy from the tails of F-22 and F-35 military jets to break them from unrecoverable stalls or spins.
    — Pat Maio, Oc Register, 29 May 2026
  • By the time the offline assay confirmed what the cells were doing, hours had passed, and the batch was unrecoverable.
    — Hamid Noori, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
Definition of unrecoverable
Adjective
  • In addition, patients with incurable or irreversible conditions no longer have to certify annually.
    — Emily McLeod, CBS News, 1 July 2026
  • She had been diagnosed in 2006 — at age 46 — with late-stage follicular non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which has long been deemed incurable.
    — Molly Gibbs, Mercury News, 29 June 2026
Definition of incurable

Browse Nearby Words

irreconcilable
irrecoverable
irredeemable
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Cite this Entry

“Irrecoverable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/irrecoverable. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on irrecoverable

Nglish: Translation of irrecoverable for Spanish Speakers

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