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
Derived 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.
The orchestra is huge, the musical invention, irresistible, and the sheer scale of orchestral writing is downright heroic.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2026
You’d be hard-pressed to find a more irresistible character on television than Cirie Fields on the 50th edition of “Survivor,” or one more discussed than “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” star Taylor Frankie Paul.
From Los Angeles Times • May 26, 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
As a student in 1983, though, he starts exhibiting sudden involuntary movements and is beset by irresistible urges to shout horrible comments.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026
At once an irresistible longing for the sea took possession of him.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
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.
