1
as in hopeless
not capable of being cured or reformed
an irretrievable drug addict who had wasted a once-promising life
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in irreparable
not capable of being repaired, regained, or undone
this is just an irretrievable mess, so let's start all over again
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Recent Examples of irretrievable
Choi seems to be exploring, if subtly, the limitless number of paths a person can take, the manifold consequences of choices that seem inconsequential, the ways interpersonal disputes can widen into irretrievable losses, the awkward intersections of agency and fate: If only this, if not for that.
—
Book Marks
june 5, Literary Hub, 5 June 2025
There is a genuinely irretrievable, ephemeral, low-res version of the movie.
—Rachel Handler, Vulture, 17 May 2025
Lawmakers warn that evidence critical to future war crimes investigations may be irretrievable.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 20 Mar. 2025
And there was data that was lost, that was irretrievable.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 2 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for irretrievable
Book Marks
june 5, Literary Hub, 5 June 2025
There is a genuinely irretrievable, ephemeral, low-res version of the movie.
—Rachel Handler, Vulture, 17 May 2025
Lawmakers warn that evidence critical to future war crimes investigations may be irretrievable.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 20 Mar. 2025
And there was data that was lost, that was irretrievable.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 2 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for irretrievable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for irretrievable
Adjective
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Nearly half of them reported feeling down, depressed or hopeless and experiencing sleep disturbances.—
Alexis Kayser,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Sep. 2025
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The movie stars Michael Johnston and Inde Navarrette in a story about a hopeless romantic who makes a wish that his long-time crush falls in love with him.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The suit claims irreparable harm and asks the court for immediate injunctive relief shutting the passes down.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
9 Sep. 2025
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In its lawsuit, Ryan LLC argued that the noncompete ban would inflict irreparable harm by enabling its employees to leave for the competition, potentially taking with them valuable skills and information gained on the job.—
Andrea Hsu,
NPR,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Recent reports about his illness had suggested the cancer was incurable, but manageable.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
10 Sep. 2025
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However, the statute doesn’t address incurable violations, such as, for example, unsafe driving, raucous disturbances, or misuse of common facilities.—
Kelly G. Richardson,
Oc Register,
29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Yet, diagnoses often come only after irreversible damage occurs.—
Somnath Banerjee,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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The lake, which spans northwestern Iran, has been reduced to a fraction of its former size, with officials and scientists warning of potentially irreversible ecological and human consequences.—
Amir Daftari,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Broadly speaking, this is probably not irrecoverable damage to the ecosystem.—
Joan Meiners,
AZCentral.com,
19 July 2025
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Aviation experts have said a preliminary report from India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) raised questions over whether one of the pilots of Air India flight 171 cut off fuel to the Boeing 787's engines seconds after takeoff, leading to an irrecoverable situation.—
Dan Catchpole,
USA Today,
18 July 2025
Adjective
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Instead, in the U.S., projects are litigated and delayed, often to make the project economics untenable and the investment unrecoverable.—
Anna Broughel,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025
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Minutes later, the list reached an unrecoverable 45 degrees; the ship slowly and silently sank, its starboard side resting on the river bottom.—
Michael Peregrine,
Chicago Tribune,
24 July 2025
Adjective
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Additionally, the court found that after considering several factors, the government failed to prove that Abrego Garcia poses an irremediable danger to the community.—
Greg Wehner , Bill Mears,
FOXNews.com,
23 June 2025
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Despite the incident, The Animal Haven reaffirmed its no-kill shelter status, and clarified that euthanasia in cases of irremediable canine aggression is in line with the Best Friends Animal Society's definition of no-kill.—
Raja Krishnamoorthi,
Newsweek,
13 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Mary Roy, too, married to flee violence—her father, a civil servant under the British, beat his wife and whipped his children—only to find that her husband was an incorrigible drunk.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
3 Sep. 2025
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Who was this alien observer, whose gaze made me into a (slightly) better person, whose gaze (slightly) reduced my incorrigible self-centeredness?—
Michael W. Clune,
Harpers Magazine,
16 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Irretrievable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/irretrievable. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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