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
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of irretrievable
No fault did not require blame allowing a divorce if one spouse claimed irreconcilable differences or irretrievable breakdown against the other.
—
Patricia Fersch, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 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
Lawmakers warn that evidence critical to future war crimes investigations may be irretrievable.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for irretrievable
Patricia Fersch, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 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
Lawmakers warn that evidence critical to future war crimes investigations may be irretrievable.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for irretrievable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for irretrievable
Adjective
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How to get your love letter stamped from Valentine, Texas For more than three decades, the small-town Valentine Post Office — also known as the Love Station — has processed thousands of love letters from hopeless romantics around the world.—
Brandi D. Addison,
Austin American Statesman,
2 July 2025
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Marcus Hopkins has been trying to have his criminal record expunged for years, a process which left him hopeless.—
Rebecca-Ann Jattan,
Sacbee.com,
26 June 2025
Adjective
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On June 30, however, Nevada Circuit Court Judge Carolyn Ellsworth denied the TRO request, ruling that the petitioners had not demonstrated immediate and irreparable injury, without addressing the merits of the broader dispute.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
23 July 2025
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Tehran’s envoy in Vienna said the Israeli and U.S. strikes have caused irreparable harm to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the international agreement that allows non-weapons states access to nuclear technologies in return for IAEA inspections.—
Bloomberg News,
Boston Herald,
5 July 2025
Adjective
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All of this comes amid reports that King Charles’ cancer is reportedly incurable, but manageable, according to writer and associate editor of the Daily Telegraph, Camilla Tominey.—
Lissete Lanuza Sáenz,
StyleCaster,
13 July 2025
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Doctors testified the disorder was incurable and said White was in a psychotic state at the time of the attack.—
Maryam Ahmed,
Austin American Statesman,
4 July 2025
Adjective
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If, indeed, this administration and its congressional supporters are preparing a case against Powell, the damage done to the Fed’s independence will, in my opinion, be long-lasting, if not irreversible.—
Ron Insana,
CNBC,
11 July 2025
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In this entertaining sequel, Lois learns Clark's identity, prompting him to renounce his Kryptonian superpowers — a process that, as his late mom (Susannah York) repeatedly tells him, is irreversible.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
10 July 2025
Adjective
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Broadly speaking, this is probably not irrecoverable damage to the ecosystem.—
Joan Meiners,
AZCentral.com,
19 July 2025
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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
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Minutes later, the list reached an unrecoverable 45 degrees; the ship slowly and silently sank, its starboard side resting on the river bottom.—
Michael Peregrine,
Chicago Tribune,
24 July 2025
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First, the private key can be lost and unrecoverable.—
Alexander S. Blume,
Forbes.com,
8 July 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
Adjective
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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
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They were joined by dozens of other performers across the rock ’n’ roll spectrum, from the hard-stomping Fleshtones to the incorrigible Supersuckers, to Tommy Stinson’s Bash & Pop, to the ageless Linda Gail Lewis — younger sister of music icon Jerry Lee Lewis.—
Jim Ruland,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Irretrievable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/irretrievable. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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