irreconcilable
Americanadjective
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incapable of being brought into harmony or adjustment; incompatible.
irreconcilable differences.
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incapable of being made to acquiesce or compromise; implacably opposed.
irreconcilable enemies.
noun
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a person or thing that is irreconcilable.
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a person who is opposed to agreement or compromise.
adjective
noun
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a person or thing that is implacably hostile or uncompromisingly opposed
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(usually plural) one of various principles, ideas, etc, that are incapable of being brought into agreement
Other Word Forms
- irreconcilability noun
- irreconcilableness noun
- irreconcilably adverb
Etymology
Origin of irreconcilable
First recorded in 1590–1600; ir- 2 + reconcilable
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.
His wife, Agnes, is central to this film, and the loss of their son haunts them both in irreconcilable ways until a miracle of an ending brings them together at the Globe theater.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 11, 2026
The flag itself has been a symbol of starkly irreconcilable ideals.
From Salon • Jan. 3, 2026
Once the wave of revolution receded, irreconcilable ideological and national differences were exposed.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 26, 2025
James Murdoch's relationship with his father and older brother Lachlan appears irreconcilable.
From BBC • Dec. 23, 2025
The debates in the ratifying conventions of the respective states only exposed the irreconcilable differences of opinion that the Constitution had so deftly bundled together.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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.
