irreducible

American  

[ir-i-doo-suh-buhl, -dyoo-] / ˌɪr ɪˈdu sə bəl, -ˈdyu- /

adjective

1. not reducible; incapable of being reduced or of being diminished or simplified further.

   the irreducible minimum.

2. incapable of being brought into a different condition or form.

3. Mathematics.

   1. of or relating to a polynomial that cannot be factored.

   2. of or relating to a group that cannot be written as the direct product of two of its subgroups.

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irreducible British  

/ ˌɪrɪˈdjuːsɪbəl /

adjective

1. not able to be reduced or lessened

2. not able to be brought to a simpler or reduced form

3. maths

   1. (of a polynomial) unable to be factorized into polynomials of lower degree, as ( x ² + 1)

   2. (of a radical) incapable of being reduced to a rational expression, as √( x + 1)

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Other Word Forms

• irreducibility
  noun
• irreducibleness
  noun
• irreducibly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of irreducible

First recorded in 1625–35; ir- ² + reducible

Explanation

Something irreducible is as simple, basic, or straightforward as it possibly can be. How a certain person grows up to be a genius is irreducible to the sum of her experiences and genetic material — it's not that simple. And you might say that you can't generalize about your favorite poet, that her brilliant work is irreducible to such simplification. Irreducible is a big word, but it basically just means "you can't make it any simpler than this."

Example Sentences

Irreducible Rupture.—This is when the rupture cannot be returned into the abdominal cavity, and it is without any symptoms of strangulation.

From Mother's Remedies Over One Thousand Tried and Tested Remedies from Mothers of the United States and Canada by Ritter, Thomas Jefferson

When at times the contents of the lump or sac cannot be pressed back into the body with the hands, it is known as a Temporarily Irreducible Rupture.

From Cluthe's Advice to the Ruptured by Cluthe Rupture Institute

Irreducible, ir-re-dūs′i-bl, adj. that cannot be reduced or brought from one degree, form, or state to another: not to be reduced by manipulation, as a hernia, &c.—n.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M) by Various

The foregoing condition sometimes becomes so bad that it is known as Permanently Irreducible.

From Cluthe's Advice to the Ruptured by Cluthe Rupture Institute