irresistible
Americanadjective
-
not resistible; incapable of being resisted or withstood.
an irresistible impulse.
-
lovable, especially calling forth feelings of protective love.
an irresistible puppy.
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enticing; tempting to possess.
an irresistible necklace.
noun
adjective
-
not able to be resisted or refused; overpowering
an irresistible impulse
-
very fascinating or alluring
an irresistible woman
Other Word Forms
- irresistibility noun
- irresistibleness noun
- irresistibly adverb
Etymology
Origin of irresistible
From the Medieval Latin word irresistibilis, dating back to 1590–1600. See ir- 2, resistible
Explanation
If something is irresistible, you have to have it, like the plate of gooey chocolate chip cookies sitting in front of a group of dieters who one by one help themselves to a handful. If you can’t resist something, it’s irresistible. Something is irresistible if it is so enticing, attractive, magnetic, tempting, or alluring that you must have it. You have no control — that's what all irresistible things have in common. From potato chips to bargain shopping or the urge to send text messages, when something is irresistible, it's hard to fight.
Vocabulary lists containing irresistible
Commonly Misspelled Words, List 6
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List 9
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-ible
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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.
The novel partnership between students and police to break open a decades-old murder case, with a love triangle at its center, was irresistible fodder for the media’s true-crime boom.
From Slate • Apr. 6, 2026
South Koreans hailed their latest cultural product to infect the world with "K-syndrome" -- the irresistible surrender to the country's movies, music, books, fashion and cuisine.
From Barron's • Mar. 16, 2026
Despite morale-sapping staff layoffs, bizarre executive orders and a 43-day federal government shutdown last fall, the grandeur and serenity of national parks in California remain irresistible to outdoors lovers looking to unwind.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 14, 2026
And the delightfully barmy Dance No More bounds along on an irresistible groove as the singer leads a chant of "respect your mother".
From BBC • Mar. 4, 2026
The only time I was able to fall asleep that night was when the last morning breeze, the one containing the irresistible urge to sleep, saved me from my wandering mind.
From "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah
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.
