irreversible

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

adjective

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

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. 2018

Examples from the Web for irreversibly

Contemporary Examples of 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

Historical Examples of irreversibly

As a race, the Southern Caucasian would be irreversibly doomed.
The Color Line
William Benjamin Smith
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
St. Paul's heart is pledged irrevocably and irreversibly to the Church.
Expositor's Bible: The Second Epistle to the Corinthians
James Denney
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

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not able to be revoked or repealed; irrevocable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.