irreversible

[ ir-i-vur-suh-buh l ]

/ ˌɪr ɪˈvɜr sə bəl /

adjective

not reversible; incapable of being changed: His refusal is irreversible.

Nearby words

irretentive, irretraceable, irretrievable, irreverence, irreverent, irreversible, irreversible pulpitis, irrevocable, irrigable, irrigate, irrigation

Origin of irreversible

First recorded in 1620–30; ir-² + reversible

Related formsir·re·vers·i·bil·i·ty, ir·re·vers·i·ble·ness, nounir·re·vers·i·bly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for irreversibly

Some critics worry that reform would be like an on/off switch—suddenly and irreversibly changing America forever.
The House GOP’s Big Immigration Fail|James Poulos|June 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
St. Paul's heart is pledged irrevocably and irreversibly to the Church.
Expositor's Bible: The Second Epistle to the Corinthians|James Denney
For why should men do either, when all they can desire is irreversibly predestined?
Chaucer's Translation of Boethius's 'De Consolatione Philosophiae'|Geoffrey Chaucer
As a race, the Southern Caucasian would be irreversibly doomed.
The Color Line|William Benjamin Smith

The real man is discovered, his worth is impartially weighed, his rank is irreversibly decreed.
Hidden Treasures|Harry A. Lewis
To say nothing of the question of how much of Terra's best blood do you want to drain off, irreversibly and permanently?
Masters of Space|Edward Elmer Smith

British Dictionary definitions for irreversibly

irreversible

/ (ˌɪrɪˈvɜːsəbəl) /

adjective

not able to be reversedthe irreversible flow of time

not able to be revoked or repealed; irrevocable

chem physics capable of changing or producing a change in one direction onlyan irreversible reaction

thermodynamics (of a change, process, etc) occurring through a number of intermediate states that are not all in thermodynamic equilibrium

Derived Formsirreversibility or irreversibleness, nounirreversibly, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for irreversibly

irreversible

adj.

1620s, from assimilated form of in- (1) "not, opposite of" + reversible. Related: Irreversibly.