Usage
What’s the difference between unrepairable and irreparable? Unrepairable and irreparable both mean just about the same thing: unable to be repaired or fixed.They can be used in overlapping ways, but they are usually used in different contexts and situations.Irreparable is the more commonly used word. It can be applied to objects, such as machines or appliances, that can’t be repaired, but it’s perhaps most commonly used in the context of intangible things like circumstances and relationships. It’s especially used with the word damage, as in I’m afraid I’ve done irreparable damage to my reputation or The iceberg caused irreparable damage to the ship’s hull.On the other hand, unrepairable is typically reserved for physical objects that can’t be fixed, such as cars, tables, or computers, as in I hate that a lot of appliances are manufactured in a way that makes them unrepairable. Still, unrepairable can also be applied to intangible things in the same way that irreparable usually is.Here’s an example of unrepairable and irreparable used correctly in a sentence.Example of irreparable: Sources close to the team say that the relationship between the coaches and the players is irreparable at this point.Example of unrepairable: I’m really hoping my mechanic doesn’t tell me my car is unrepairable—I really don’t want to buy a new one. Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between unrepairable and irreparable.
Etymology
Origin of unrepairable
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.
Now, in what Kuzma calls a “wildly unlikely” outcome, since the DMV and insurance have deemed the ‘57 “unrepairable,” it’s been sold to the people behind Pasadena Classic Cars.
From Los Angeles Times
Other Lives makes meaning out of old, cast-off clothes, drawing on the practices and philosophies of Japanese creative techniques like suminagashi dyeing, sachiko embroidery and kintsugi ceramics mending to see the redeeming spirit in an item, to repair the unrepairable.
From Los Angeles Times
A couple of weeks later, the White House targeted another source of hidden fees — unrepairable products that force owners to pay for servicing by authorized shops — by convening a roundtable on the “right to repair.”
From Los Angeles Times
About 18 percent of gasoline cars involved in crashes are totaled, while only about 6 percent of battery-powered vehicles are deemed unrepairable after accidents, according to Mitchell.
From New York Times
About 50,000 apartments in more than 400 buildings are now unrepairable.
From New York Times
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.
