irretrievable
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of irretrievable
1695–1705; ir- 2 + retrievable ( def. )
Explanation
Irretrievable means something that can’t be retrieved or recovered. If you have irretrievable memory loss, it means you'll never get your memories back. Golden retrievers are dogs who love to play fetch — they retrieve the ball, or bring it back over and over again. But if the ball gets stuck in a tree, they will just stand there, helplessly waiting for it to fall. Try to explain it a Golden Retriever in Latin: they are not ir- going to be able -able to get -retrieve- that ball = it is ir-retriev-able. If you suffer an irretrievable loss — like the death of someone you are close to — that means a loss you may never recover from.
Vocabulary lists containing irretrievable
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
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Stories of Ourselves
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Vocabulary Video Contest (2013) - List 3
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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 version of the internet I loved, the one where we could talk about sandwiches, is irretrievable.
From Slate ● Jun. 12, 2025
The break was decisive and irretrievable for Djokovic.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2024
"We have detailed strenuously for years that neither regulators nor industry can ensure against the permanent and irretrievable damage to Grand Canyon's aquifers and springs," McKinnon added.
From Salon ● Jan. 31, 2024
Posner toys with plot points and character names, but the basic storyline is the same and the essential Chekhovian angst over squandered potential and irretrievable loss is preserved.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2023
Prim makes a sound—such a lost, irretrievable sound—that I can’t even imagine what they have done to evoke it.
From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins
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.
