irreparable

adjective

ir·​rep·​a·​ra·​ble i-ˈre-p(ə-)rə-bəl 

ˌi(r)-,

also nonstandard

ˌir-(r)ə-ˈper-ə-bəl 

: not reparable : irremediable

irreparable damage

irreparableness noun

irreparably

i-ˈre-p(ə-)rə-blē 

ˌi(r)-

 also nonstandard  ˌir-(r)ə-ˈper-ə-blē

adverb

Synonyms

• irrecoverable
• irredeemable
• irremediable
• irretrievable
• irreversible
• unrecoverable
• unredeemable

Examples of irreparable in a Sentence

The oil spill did irreparable harm to the bay.

The damage to their relationship was irreparable.

Recent Examples on the Web

Hunt Realty argues the alignment will cause irreparable harm to the Reunion development and hinder long-term economic opportunities in downtown Dallas. —Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 24 Jan. 2025

The Justice Department insisted that putting the deadline on ice would cause irreparable harm. —Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 23 Jan. 2025

The platform has said even a temporary ban would caused irreparable harm to creators and the platform. —Maria Curi, Axios, 17 Jan. 2025

What To Know In a brief filed with a federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., the Justice Department argued that accepting guilty pleas from Mohammed and his co-defendants would cause irreparable harm. —Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 8 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin irreparabilis, from in- + reparabilis reparable

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

irreparable

adjective

ir·​rep·​a·​ra·​ble (ˈ)ir-ˈ(r)ep-(ə-)rə-bəl 

: not capable of being repaired or regained

an irreparable loss

irreparably

-blē 

adverb

Legal Definition

irreparable

adjective

ir·​rep·​a·​ra·​ble i-ˈre-pə-rə-bəl, -prə-bəl 

: impossible to repair, remedy, or undo

irreparably adverb