irresistible
Americanadjective
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not resistible; incapable of being resisted or withstood.
an irresistible impulse.
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lovable, especially calling forth feelings of protective love.
an irresistible puppy.
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enticing; tempting to possess.
an irresistible necklace.
noun
adjective
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not able to be resisted or refused; overpowering
an irresistible impulse
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very fascinating or alluring
an irresistible woman
Other Word Forms
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.
Matthew White and Howard Jacques’s stage-musical take on the 1935 Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers film, captured for this ‘Great Performances’ program on PBS, fails to achieve the irresistible charm of its source material.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 13, 2026
That was the cue for the euphoria, the unleashing of a force that is really beginning to look irresistible.
From BBC • May 4, 2026
As Odysseus and his ship were sailing by the Sirens, he knew the Sirens’ song would be irresistible and — if he didn’t resist its allure — fatal.
From MarketWatch • May 2, 2026
Rachel Khong’s irresistible puzzle of a second novel suggests it is a mistake to think we can force complex, nature-nurture identities in a chosen direction.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026
Plus, Dr. Gazzaley notes, the technology companies who build the magical gadgets have every incentive to make them our irresistible com-panions.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
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.
