irreducible
adjective
ir·re·duc·ible
ˌir-i-ˈdü-sə-bəl 
-ˈdyü-
1
: impossible to transform into or restore to a desired or simpler condition
an irreducible matrix
specifically
: incapable of being factored into polynomials of lower degree with coefficients in some given field (such as the rational numbers) or integral domain (such as the integers)
an irreducible equation
2
: impossible to make less or smaller
an irreducible minimum
Examples of irreducible in a Sentence
They thought the world was made up of four irreducible elements: earth, air, fire, and water.
Recent Examples on the Web
Surely somebody was on the inside, holding power, and yet everybody here felt iced out, their privilege and their victimhood irreducible against one another; each personal combination private, hurtful, and too tender to touch.
—
Daisy Hildyard, The New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2024
The refined view of entropy is one that sheds the false dreams of total efficiency and perfect prediction and instead concedes the irreducible uncertainty in the world.
—Zack Savitsky, Quanta Magazine, 13 Dec. 2024
Reclaim what is unique and irreducible in these encounters—what cannot be accounted for by the systemic analysis.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 17 Sep. 2024
Ronald Bronstein, 2007) Ronald Bronstein’s sole directorial effort thrums with irreducible personality, an entrée into a chaotic, claustrophobic state of mind within an unforgiving urban environment.
—Indiewire Staff, IndieWire, 12 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for irreducible 
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Daisy Hildyard, The New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2024
The refined view of entropy is one that sheds the false dreams of total efficiency and perfect prediction and instead concedes the irreducible uncertainty in the world.
—Zack Savitsky, Quanta Magazine, 13 Dec. 2024
Reclaim what is unique and irreducible in these encounters—what cannot be accounted for by the systemic analysis.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 17 Sep. 2024
Ronald Bronstein, 2007) Ronald Bronstein’s sole directorial effort thrums with irreducible personality, an entrée into a chaotic, claustrophobic state of mind within an unforgiving urban environment.
—Indiewire Staff, IndieWire, 12 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for irreducible
Dictionary Entries Near irreducible
Cite this Entry
“Irreducible.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/irreducible. Accessed 24 Dec. 2024.
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Medical Definition
irreducible
adjective
ir·re·duc·ible
ˌir-i-ˈd(y)ü-sə-bəl
: impossible to bring into a desired or normal state
an irreducible hernia
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