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 of irreparable

• 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

The federal government also argued there could be no irreparable harm from the removal of the exhibits because they are documented online and replacement panels would cost $20,000. —Abraham Gutman, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2026

Joseph Hatley, an attorney representing Leavenworth, said the city succeeded in demonstrating that allowing CoreCivic to reopen without a permit would have caused irreparable harm. —Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 11 Feb. 2026

Rattling off the potential for irreparable harm, the attorney said that demobilizing the project and then restarting it would significantly delay the overall timeline of the critical infrastructure project, or even torpedo the whole thing. —Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 6 Feb. 2026

With import‑export activities stalled, especially in the garment sector, the country faces irreparable damage. —Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 5 Feb. 2026

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