irreclaimable

[ ir-i-kley-muh-buhl ]

/ ˌɪr ɪˈkleɪ mə bəl /

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adjective

incapable of being reclaimed or rehabilitated: an irreclaimable swamp; irreclaimable offenders.

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Origin of irreclaimable

First recorded in 1600–10; ir-² + reclaimable

OTHER WORDS FROM irreclaimable

ir·re·claim·a·bil·i·ty, ir·re·claim·a·ble·ness, nounir·re·claim·a·bly, adverb

Words nearby irreclaimable

irrationalize, irrational number, Irrawaddy, irreal, irrebuttable, irreclaimable, irreconcilable, irrecoverable, irrecusable, irredeemable, irredenta

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use irreclaimable in a sentence

But I am an irreclaimable wanderer, and it is some time since I have been home.
The Half-Hearted|John Buchan
It is not his business to reform bad artists, who are probably quite irreclaimable.
Oscar Wilde|Arthur Ransome
And the great majority of them, I fear, are even more irreclaimable than their comrades in other communities.
Tramping with Tramps|Josiah Flynt
Evil surroundings weigh more in producing criminals than heredity, and their children are not irreclaimable.
The Whence and the Whither of Man|John Mason Tyler

Their irregular shape also condemns them for the most part with the many admirable but irreclaimable crooked rugs.
The Oriental Rug|William D. Ellwanger

British Dictionary definitions for irreclaimable

irreclaimable

/ (ˌɪrɪˈkleɪməbəl) /

adjective

not able to be reclaimed

Derived forms of irreclaimable

irreclaimability or irreclaimableness, nounirreclaimably, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012