irrevocable
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of irrevocable
First recorded in 1350–1400; a Middle English word from the Latin word irrevocābilis; see ir- 2, revocable
Explanation
If you're on a diet but eat one tiny piece of chocolate, it might start an irrevocable slide into bad eating. Describe something as irrevocable if it cannot be undone or taken back. If you break down irrevocable, you wind up with ir "not," re "back" and vocable from the Latin vocare "to call." So if something is irrevocable, you cannot call it back — it is permanent. You must fulfill an irrevocable promise and live with an irrevocable decision. A law is irrevocable if it states within the law that it cannot be nullified. Now that's final!
Vocabulary lists containing irrevocable
Grade 9, List 3
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"The Black Cat" by Edgar Allan Poe
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The Bluest Eye
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Some people establish an irrevocable trust early enough to avoid the five-year look-back rule.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 10, 2026
A word of caution: Any money you deposit in such an account is an irrevocable gift, meaning you cannot take it back and that the funds have been removed from your estate.
From MarketWatch • May 28, 2026
To swap assets, a trust must be an irrevocable grantor trust.
From Barron's • May 16, 2026
When heirs inherit assets in an irrevocable trust, they don’t get the benefit of a step-up in cost basis that they get on assets inherited outside the trust.
From Barron's • May 16, 2026
“Thursday,” Archie said, a command in his voice, no nonsense, final, irrevocable.
From "The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
