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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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
Until then, the damage to the New York business community and to the rule of law is irretrievable.
—
Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 20 Mar. 2024
Given enough machinery and labor, roads were not irretrievable after all.
—Ben Goldfarb, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Feb. 2024
Many families, including some of Peter’s relatives, found ways to channel their grief to salvage something from their irretrievable loss.
—Amy Qin, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2024
Adam’s childhood home (remarkably, the same house in which Haigh himself grew up) is a maze of personal mysteries: old clothes, faded photographs and other relics of a palpable yet irretrievable past.
—Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 20 Dec. 2023
See All Example Sentences for irretrievable
Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 20 Mar. 2024
Given enough machinery and labor, roads were not irretrievable after all.
—Ben Goldfarb, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Feb. 2024
Many families, including some of Peter’s relatives, found ways to channel their grief to salvage something from their irretrievable loss.
—Amy Qin, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2024
Adam’s childhood home (remarkably, the same house in which Haigh himself grew up) is a maze of personal mysteries: old clothes, faded photographs and other relics of a palpable yet irretrievable past.
—Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 20 Dec. 2023
See All Example Sentences for irretrievable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for irretrievable
Adjective
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There are so many hopeless people out there struggling right now financially and with providing for their families.—
Jordan Greene,
People.com,
18 Mar. 2025
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Sabah had a hopeless prognosis: severe brain edema.—
Ayesha Khan,
The New Yorker,
17 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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On Tuesday, a judge put a stop to Trump’s effort to cut off funding for the non-profit Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, concluding that the administration’s efforts to shut it down would cause irreparable harm.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
26 Mar. 2025
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The Government likely faces irreparable harm to ongoing, highly sensitive international diplomacy and national-security operations.—
Paul Du Quenoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Wynn suffers from retinitis pigmentosa, an incurable eye disease.—
Alex Isenstadt,
Axios,
16 Mar. 2025
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Its lead drug candidate, a potential drug for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, an incurable lung disease, has shown positive results in a mid-stage human trial in the U.S., the company said in November.—
Zinnia Lee,
Forbes,
13 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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When other causes of hair loss lead to scarring, such as certain types of alopecia, that's often irreversible.—
Hannah Yasharoff,
USA TODAY,
19 Mar. 2025
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As the conversation wraps up, Lough acknowledges that while the damage already done may be irreversible, there is still a chance to shift towards a more sustainable future.—
Lise Pedersen,
Variety,
19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
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
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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
Adjective
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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
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Many thought that a healthy forest would never thrive in impoverished, mercury-laden topsoil and that the piles of sandy tailings, the residue from the gold mining effort, and the pools of wastewater were irremediable.—
Simeon Tegel,
NPR,
2 Apr. 2024
Adjective
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Even from beyond the grave, that man proves to be incorrigible in his audacity.—
Ayan Artan,
Vulture,
9 Mar. 2025
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Bridget’s old on-again, off-again boss/beau Daniel Cleaver (played by the gloriously incorrigible Hugh Grant) drifts in and out of the story.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
TIME,
14 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Irretrievable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/irretrievable. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
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