irredeemable

adjective

ir·​re·​deem·​able ˌir-i-ˈdē-mə-bəl How to pronounce irredeemable (audio)
1
: not redeemable: such as
a
: not terminable by payment of the principal
irredeemable bond
2
: being beyond remedy : hopeless
irredeemable mistakes
irredeemably adverb

Examples of irredeemable in a Sentence

She does not believe that anyone is completely irredeemable. Without intervention, the country could fall into irredeemable chaos.
Recent Examples on the Web Those familiar with the story might reasonably wonder: Why, out of all of Roth’s nearly 30 works of fiction, has John Turturro elected to embody the most estranging, the most irredeemable, the quite simply filthiest character in Roth’s canon? Marc Tracy, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2023 Their irredeemable and destructive nature is central to Crummey’s character exploration following the trajectories of a pair of ruthless merchants competing for control on Newfoundland’s northern coast. Hazlitt, 27 Sep. 2023 Is Greenwald a stand-in for this famously outspoken Hollywood iconoclast, condemning the irredeemable rottenness of the system that employed him? Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2023 Popular entertainment on film and TV provides fictional accounts of Communist heroes resisting Japanese imperialists or defeating decadent class enemies left over from the irredeemable past. Ian Buruma, The New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2023 Patterson thinks that unlike the Maryland flag, Georgia’s is irredeemable and should be changed. Gillian Brockell, Washington Post, 10 Sep. 2023 Small investors were left with a bag of irredeemable, and therefore worthless, digital assets. Jacob Bacharach, The New Republic, 18 Sep. 2023 Still, Patterson thinks Maryland’s flag, unlike the Confederate battle flag, isn’t irredeemable. Gillian Brockell, Washington Post, 10 Sep. 2023 Astronauts on the International Space Station have to re-wear clothes over and over again until new ones arrive in supply shipments, a process which renders their clothing so irredeemable that the apparel is burned up in our atmosphere, never to be worn again. Gear Team, Wired, 6 Jan. 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'irredeemable.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1609, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of irredeemable was in 1609

Dictionary Entries Near irredeemable

Cite this Entry

“Irredeemable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/irredeemable. Accessed 1 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

irredeemable

adjective
ir·​re·​deem·​able ˌir-i-ˈdē-mə-bəl How to pronounce irredeemable (audio)
1
: not redeemable
2
: being beyond remedy : hopeless
irredeemably adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on irredeemable

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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