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

This may include irrevocable trusts for Medicaid planning, special needs trusts for disabled beneficiaries, or long-term care endowment funds through dedicated trusts. —Matthew F. Erskine, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025

Murdoch used an irrevocable trust, which typically isn’t changeable, to give each of four children equal voting rights over his famously conservative media empire. —Medora Lee, USA Today, 19 June 2025

Drawing too much from one side of the ledger results in irrevocable debt. —E. Alex Jung, Vulture, 18 Feb. 2025

The new law applies only to payments to individuals, so partnerships, irrevocable trusts, and various other entities appear not to qualify. —Robert W. Wood, Forbes.com, 27 May 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