irrevocable
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word 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.
Property owned by an irrevocable trust—a structure used to move property outside of an individual’s taxable estate—could be subject to the tax even if one of its beneficiaries lives there full time.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
When your father dies, the trust becomes irrevocable.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026
It looked, briefly, like it might bring about an immediate and irrevocable collapse in his authority.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
“With Uber’s existing position and irrevocable tender commitments materially reducing acceptance risk, we raise our price target to 41.50 euros and recommend shareholders tender their shares into the offer,” he adds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
He could see the opposed forces of his destiny and his will drawing swiftly together now, toward a junction that would be irrevocable; he became cunning.
From "The Sound and the Fury" by William Faulkner
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.
