irreplaceable
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of irreplaceable
First recorded in 1800–10; ir- 2 + replaceable
Explanation
The adjective irreplaceable describes anything that's one of a kind, particularly if it has deep sentimental value to you, like your grandmother's irreplaceable engagement ring. When you replace something, you get something that's just like it, but if something is irreplaceable, there's just no substitute. It might be a special thing given to you by a loved one, like your great-grandfather's pocket watch or something that can't be made again, like an irreplaceable painting or an old floor made from a species of wood that's no longer harvested.
Vocabulary lists containing irreplaceable
Kindred
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A Tangle of Knots
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Week 4 Spelling
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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.
He is still irreplaceable at 33 and their top scorer in major tournaments with 21 goals in 36 appearances across six of those showpieces, ahead of Gary Lineker's 10 goals in 18 appearances.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
Ancient human remains are both scientifically irreplaceable and culturally important, making sampling methods that significantly damage fossils unacceptable in many cases.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 10, 2026
Sellers are enjoying a jump in sales but fretting over whether irreplaceable books are being “sent to the guillotine” to train large language models.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
He has proved to be irreplaceable for his country as he is for Manchester City.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
Both had replaced Stonewall Jackson, who was perhaps irreplaceable.
From "The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War" by Michael Shaara
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
