irrevocable

adjective

ir·​rev·​o·​ca·​ble i-ˈre-və-kə-bəl 

ˌi(r)-

sometimes

ˌir-(r)ə-ˈvō-kə- 

: not possible to revoke : unalterable

an irrevocable decision

irrevocability

i-ˌre-və-kə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

ˌir-(r)ə-ˌvō-kə-

noun

irrevocableness

i-ˈre-və-kə-bəl-nəs 

ˌir-(r)ə-ˈvō-kə-

noun

irrevocably

i-ˈre-və-kə-blē 

ˌi(r)-

sometimes ˌir-(r)ə-ˈvō-kə-

adverb

Did you know?

Irrevocable and Trusts

Irrevocable has a formal sound to it and is often used in legal contexts. Irrevocable trusts are trust funds that cannot be dissolved by the people who created them (the other kind is a revocable trust). An irrevocable credit is an absolute obligation from a bank to provide credit to a customer. Irrevocable gifts, under U.S. tax law, are gifts that are given by one living person to another and can't be reclaimed by the giver. But the word isn't always legal; we've all had to make irrevocable decisions, decisions that commit us absolutely to something.

Examples of irrevocable in a Sentence

She has made an irrevocable decision.

Recent Examples on the Web

Young closes with a loose rendering of Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy, recasting the progression from hell to Paradise as an inward struggle to cope with irrevocable loss. —The Atlantic, 4 Dec. 2025

Pamela and Deborah accused Decca of stealing a family scrapbook to aid the writer, leading to the threat of an irrevocable break. —Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025

This irrevocable trust can be changed, designed to offer flexibility while maintaining key asset protections. —Matt Emma, USA Today, 17 Nov. 2025

Weigh the value of a trust A trust comes in two forms, revocable (changeable) or irrevocable (not changeable). —Jill Schlesinger, Mercury News, 27 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin irrevocabilis, from in- + revocabilis revocable

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for irrevocable

• revocable

Kids Definition

irrevocable

adjective

ir·​rev·​o·​ca·​ble (ˈ)ir-ˈ(r)ev-ə-kə-bəl 

: not capable of being revoked

an irrevocable decision

irrevocability

(ˌ)ir-ˌ(r)ev-ə-kə-ˈbil-ət-ē 

noun

irrevocably

(ˈ)ir-ˈ(r)ev-ə-kə-blē 

adverb

Legal Definition

irrevocable

adjective

ir·​rev·​o·​ca·​ble ir-ˈre-və-kə-bəl 

: not capable of being revoked

the offer was irrevocable for ten days

irrevocability noun

irrevocably adverb