irreparable

adjective

ir·​rep·​a·​ra·​ble i-ˈre-p(ə-)rə-bəl 

ˌi(r)-,

also nonstandard

ˌir-(r)ə-ˈper-ə-bəl 

: not reparable : irremediable

irreparable damage

irreparableness noun

irreparably

i-ˈre-p(ə-)rə-blē 

ˌi(r)-

 also nonstandard  ˌir-(r)ə-ˈper-ə-blē

adverb

Synonyms

• irreversible
• irremediable
• irretrievable

Examples of irreparable in a Sentence

The oil spill did irreparable harm to the bay.

The damage to their relationship was irreparable.

Recent Examples on the Web

Companies that fail to establish rigorous evaluation frameworks risk not only product failures but also legal liability, regulatory scrutiny and irreparable damage to user trust. —Sebastian Crossa, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025

That somehow or other, all of a sudden, their request for a merger or for some other transaction was now slowed for a year or two years or three years, causing irreparable harm, but with no recourse that the company would have. —Max Tani, semafor.com, 19 Sep. 2025

City officials said moving or even touching them can cause irreparable harm. —Hannah Dreyfus, AZCentral.com, 15 Sep. 2025

The suit claims irreparable harm and asks the court for immediate injunctive relief shutting the passes down. —Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 9 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin irreparabilis, from in- + reparabilis reparable

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for irreparable

• separable
• inseparable

Kids Definition

irreparable

adjective

ir·​rep·​a·​ra·​ble (ˈ)ir-ˈ(r)ep-(ə-)rə-bəl 

: not capable of being repaired or regained

an irreparable loss

irreparably

-blē 

adverb

Legal Definition

irreparable

adjective

ir·​rep·​a·​ra·​ble i-ˈre-pə-rə-bəl, -prə-bəl 

: impossible to repair, remedy, or undo

irreparably adverb