1
as in hopeless
not capable of being cured or reformed
an irretrievable drug addict who had wasted a once-promising life
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 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
-
All that’s left is some hopeless cringe, stunt guest stars and unfunny jokes.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
-
All that's left is some hopeless cringe, stunt guest stars and unfunny jokes.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The statements have caused irreparable harm because the government’s sustained public commentary, designed to further a political agenda, will have a prejudicial impact on a future jury.—
Jenna Sundel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
-
Her fear is that either choice may cause irreparable harm.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The new role comes amid Dane's public campaign to find federal funding for research on the incurable neurological disease.—
Mekishana Pierre,
Entertainment Weekly,
20 Oct. 2025
-
Miners argue increased subjection to the dust has led to an eruption of black lung, an incurable disease associated with inhaling the particles.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
In May 2014, NASA announced at a press conference that a portion of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet appeared to have reached a point of irreversible retreat.—
Evan Howell,
Quanta Magazine,
20 Oct. 2025
-
Rising temperatures are wiping out the planet's warm-water coral reefs, and the dieback may be irreversible, according to the latest Global Tipping Points Report released by researchers worldwide.—
Robert Abitbol,
USA Today,
18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Broadly speaking, this is probably not irrecoverable damage to the ecosystem.—
Joan Meiners,
AZCentral.com,
19 July 2025
-
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
-
Multi-year studies were interrupted and often unrecoverable, loss of support personnel to manage animal facilities and lack of resources to purchase mice, inability to purchase routine critical supplies and equipment.—
D. Scott Schmid,
Denver Post,
22 Sep. 2025
-
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
Adjective
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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 30 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share