reversibility

American  

[ri-vur-suh-bil-i-tee] / rɪˌvɜr səˈbɪl ɪ ti /

Rarely reversibleness

noun

1. the ability to become the opposite in position, direction, order, or character.

   The innovative new connector allows for simple field reversibility of the pump direction.

2. the ability to be restored or returned to a previous condition.

   Benefits include the reversibility of the procedure should a major improvement in symptoms not be realized.

3. the ability to be worn or used with either side facing outward.

   The reversibility of the jacket provides an opportunity to vary your look over the course of the day.

---

Other Word Forms

• nonreversibility noun
• nonreversibleness noun
• unreversibleness noun

Etymology

Origin of reversibility

revers(ible) ( def. ) + -ibility ( def. )

Example Sentences

“The exact number and reversibility of these outages won’t matter much physically until Hormuz reopens, but it matters for market sentiment and oil price,” he says.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026

"This reversibility is useful for things like real-time measurements," Downs said.

From Science Daily • Oct. 3, 2023

In a recently published study in Cerebral Cortex, we and our colleagues investigated the reversibility of altered brain structure in individuals who had recovered their sight after suffering from congenital blindness.

From Scientific American • May 12, 2023

But like most palindromes, Tenet prizes reversibility over intelligibility: The point of “Able was I ere I saw Elba” is that it reads the same both ways, not that it teaches you anything.

From Slate • Aug. 27, 2020

In physics, the contrary rule appears very general, and reversibility generally does not exist.

From The New Physics and Its Evolution by Poincaré, Lucien