1
as in hopeless
not capable of being cured or reformed
unfortunately, he was destined to live out his days as an irrecoverable alcoholic
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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Recent Examples of irrecoverable
During the Kursk operation, the enemy has already lost over 38,000 soldiers in this single direction alone, with approximately 15,000 of them irrecoverable losses.
—
Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 7 Jan. 2025
This kind of situation occurs when irrecoverable past investments drive decisions, even when those costs are irrelevant to future outcomes.
—Shanna Apitz, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024
The damage done by Biden-Harris is not irrecoverable.
—Gary Franks, Hartford Courant, 1 Nov. 2024
In Germany, bad debt relief requires that the debt is considered irrecoverable, assessed based on the individual facts of each case.
—Aleksandra Bal, Forbes, 8 Sep. 2024
The resulting jet of propellant that vented into space acted as an impromptu rocket that could have pushed the spacecraft into an irrecoverable tumble.
—Michael Greshko, Scientific American, 19 Jan. 2024
The West in fact faces a crucial choice right now: support Ukraine so that its leaders can defend their territory and prepare for a 2025 offensive or cede an irrecoverable advantage to Russia.
—Jack Watling, Foreign Affairs, 3 Jan. 2024
Two of these horses were euthanized on the day of the Derby itself after suffering irrecoverable injuries, their trainers told The Associated Press.
—Justin Klawans, The Week, 9 May 2023
One line of thinking is that Russian forces would execute a swift, overwhelming strike meant to inflict massive and irrecoverable losses on the Ukrainian military that would spur a political capitulation (and possibly a change in government) in Kyiv.
—Nolan Peterson, WSJ, 20 Jan. 2022
Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 7 Jan. 2025
This kind of situation occurs when irrecoverable past investments drive decisions, even when those costs are irrelevant to future outcomes.
—Shanna Apitz, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024
The damage done by Biden-Harris is not irrecoverable.
—Gary Franks, Hartford Courant, 1 Nov. 2024
In Germany, bad debt relief requires that the debt is considered irrecoverable, assessed based on the individual facts of each case.
—Aleksandra Bal, Forbes, 8 Sep. 2024
The resulting jet of propellant that vented into space acted as an impromptu rocket that could have pushed the spacecraft into an irrecoverable tumble.
—Michael Greshko, Scientific American, 19 Jan. 2024
The West in fact faces a crucial choice right now: support Ukraine so that its leaders can defend their territory and prepare for a 2025 offensive or cede an irrecoverable advantage to Russia.
—Jack Watling, Foreign Affairs, 3 Jan. 2024
Two of these horses were euthanized on the day of the Derby itself after suffering irrecoverable injuries, their trainers told The Associated Press.
—Justin Klawans, The Week, 9 May 2023
One line of thinking is that Russian forces would execute a swift, overwhelming strike meant to inflict massive and irrecoverable losses on the Ukrainian military that would spur a political capitulation (and possibly a change in government) in Kyiv.
—Nolan Peterson, WSJ, 20 Jan. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for irrecoverable
Adjective
-
Is there a way out of our divided country’s seemingly hopeless predicament?—
Jackie Strause,
The Hollywood Reporter,
25 Feb. 2025
-
People who find themselves in financial trouble sometimes consider taking drastic measures when their situation appears hopeless.—
Paulette Perhach,
New York Times,
23 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
The reaction also had to be irreversible to prevent ongoing cycles of reactions between the lithium and the remains of the chemical that brought it there.—
John Timmer,
Ars Technica,
21 Feb. 2025
-
After four years of age, the limited functional retinal tissue degenerates, leading to total and irreversible blindness.—
Tom Rogers,
Newsweek,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
And there was data that was lost, that was irretrievable.—
Wesley Stenzel,
EW.com,
2 Jan. 2025
-
Once deleted, users can also manually empty the trash folder, making those files and communications irretrievable and truly deleted from the online platform.—
Lars Daniel,
Forbes,
26 Sep. 2024
Adjective
-
Judge John Bates’ temporary restraining order came after Doctors for America sued the government, saying irreparable harm was caused by the loss of dozens of public health websites that the doctors used regularly to treat patients and conduct research.—
Jen Christensen,
CNN,
14 Feb. 2025
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Without open discussions and mutual understanding, misunderstandings can turn into irreparable divides.—
Daniel R. Depetris,
Newsweek,
1 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Now shortlisted for the 2025 Academy Awards, Benjamin Ree’s documentary tells the story of Mats Steen, a young Norwegian who died at 25 from Duchenne muscular dystrophy, an inherited and incurable degenerative neuromuscular disorder.—
Scott Roxborough,
The Hollywood Reporter,
11 Jan. 2025
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Called stage 4 breast cancer, this disease is incurable.—
Jennifer Welsh Published,
Verywell Health,
30 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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An older idea of Russia that has not yet been destroyed is taking revenge on new, innocent generations who are sacrificing their lives in pursuit of unrecoverable greatness.—
Andrei Kolesnikov,
Foreign Affairs,
23 Jan. 2025
-
The damaged flight data recorder had been deemed unrecoverable for data extraction by South Korean authorities, who sent it to the United States for analysis at the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board laboratory.—
Paolo Confino,
Fortune Asia,
11 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Irrecoverable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/irrecoverable. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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