irreversible
Americanadjective
adjective
-
not able to be reversed
the irreversible flow of time
-
not able to be revoked or repealed; irrevocable
-
chem physics capable of changing or producing a change in one direction only
an irreversible reaction
-
thermodynamics (of a change, process, etc) occurring through a number of intermediate states that are not all in thermodynamic equilibrium
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of irreversible
First recorded in 1620–30; ir- 2 + reversible
Explanation
If you can't undo something, it's irreversible. Time is always irreversible, as is the damage done to your skin by too much sun, so be sure to wear sunblock! While you see reverse inside of this word, you wouldn't use it to describe a car that can't go backwards. However, if the car was in an accident and cannot be fixed, you could say that the damage done to the car was pretty much irreversible, in other words the car is totaled.
Vocabulary lists containing irreversible
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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.
Kim has instead repeatedly said North Korea’s status as a nuclear state is irreversible.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026
The care the Framers took in delineating this irreversible presidential power—requiring the president’s personal involvement, and limiting it to certain federal criminal matters—is telling.
From Slate • May 26, 2026
Kim Sung-hee, director of Workers' Institute for the Industrial and Labour Policy, said that while the strike could cause losses, "they are unlikely to be irreversible".
From Barron's • May 20, 2026
Researchers now want to know whether restoring mitochondrial function could slow neuron loss, delay disease progression, or possibly help prevent damage before it becomes irreversible.
From Science Daily • May 16, 2026
The existence of radiation from black holes seems to imply that gravitational collapse is not as final and irreversible as we once thought.
From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking
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.
