irretrievable
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of irretrievable
1695–1705; ir- 2 + retrievable ( def. )
Explanation
Irretrievable means something that can’t be retrieved or recovered. If you have irretrievable memory loss, it means you'll never get your memories back. Golden retrievers are dogs who love to play fetch — they retrieve the ball, or bring it back over and over again. But if the ball gets stuck in a tree, they will just stand there, helplessly waiting for it to fall. Try to explain it a Golden Retriever in Latin: they are not ir- going to be able -able to get -retrieve- that ball = it is ir-retriev-able. If you suffer an irretrievable loss — like the death of someone you are close to — that means a loss you may never recover from.
Vocabulary lists containing irretrievable
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
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Stories of Ourselves
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Vocabulary Video Contest (2013) - List 3
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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.
In it, she argues that the grand narratives of exile and revolution are, at their core, made up of private reckonings with irretrievable consequences.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026
You are trying, in this book, to express the level of absolute, possibly irretrievable loss.
From Slate ● Oct. 27, 2025
There were muted celebrations to begin with when Cash sent down an irretrievable overhead smash to secure victory before the pair turned to their coaching box and raised their fists in the air.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2025
"We have detailed strenuously for years that neither regulators nor industry can ensure against the permanent and irretrievable damage to Grand Canyon's aquifers and springs," McKinnon added.
From Salon ● Jan. 31, 2024
As he shepherds us inside, I think she’s expending whatever energy she has toward an idea of John Kwang in irretrievable fall.
From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee
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.
