1
as in hopeless
not capable of being cured or reformed
unfortunately, he was destined to live out his days as an irrecoverable alcoholic
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in irreversible
not capable of being repaired, regained, or undone
one computer file proved to be irrecoverable after the crash
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of irrecoverable
An irrecoverable loss of the entirety of our personal data.
—
Shannon Bond, NPR, 11 Mar. 2026
Broadly speaking, this is probably not irrecoverable damage to the ecosystem.
—Shaun McKinnon, AZCentral.com, 5 Jan. 2026
Aviation experts have said a preliminary report from India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) raised questions over whether one of the pilots of Air India flight 171 cut off fuel to the Boeing 787's engines seconds after takeoff, leading to an irrecoverable situation.
—Dan Catchpole, USA Today, 18 July 2025
Aviation experts have said a preliminary report from India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) raised questions over whether one of the pilots of Air India flight 171 cut off fuel to the Boeing 787’s engines seconds after takeoff, leading to an irrecoverable situation.
—Reuters, CNN Money, 16 July 2025
Crestfallen fans have begun demanding refunds for hundreds of dollars in ticket purchases to defray irrecoverable travel and lodging costs.
—Jia H. Jung, Mercury News, 11 July 2025
Customs Duty, which is irrecoverable. Import VAT, which can be reclaimed, provided correct steps are taken.
—Robert Marchant, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025
The contents of the time capsule may become irrecoverable.
—Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2025
Shannon Bond, NPR, 11 Mar. 2026
Broadly speaking, this is probably not irrecoverable damage to the ecosystem.
—Shaun McKinnon, AZCentral.com, 5 Jan. 2026
Aviation experts have said a preliminary report from India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) raised questions over whether one of the pilots of Air India flight 171 cut off fuel to the Boeing 787's engines seconds after takeoff, leading to an irrecoverable situation.
—Dan Catchpole, USA Today, 18 July 2025
Aviation experts have said a preliminary report from India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) raised questions over whether one of the pilots of Air India flight 171 cut off fuel to the Boeing 787’s engines seconds after takeoff, leading to an irrecoverable situation.
—Reuters, CNN Money, 16 July 2025
Crestfallen fans have begun demanding refunds for hundreds of dollars in ticket purchases to defray irrecoverable travel and lodging costs.
—Jia H. Jung, Mercury News, 11 July 2025
Customs Duty, which is irrecoverable. Import VAT, which can be reclaimed, provided correct steps are taken.
—Robert Marchant, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025
The contents of the time capsule may become irrecoverable.
—Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for irrecoverable
Adjective
-
There were definitely points on my journey where things seemed dark and sort of hopeless.—
Zulekha Nathoo,
USA Today,
30 Mar. 2026
-
This one’s for the horny, hopeless goth inside all of us.—
Katie Walsh,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The state would never allow a commercial airline pilot to fly without layers of preventive safeguards, yet its DUI enforcement often escalates only after irreversible harm has taken place.—
Sean M. Cleary,
Sun Sentinel,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The lawsuit said the harm to her career was irreversible and the emotional and reputational damage was immense.—
Larry Neumeister,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
For Isaac, the film also captures something irretrievable.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Days before, Sheriff Nanos had said images were irretrievable.—
Richard Ruelas,
AZCentral.com,
1 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Judge Tanya Walton Pratt ruled the NCAA did not show how the online sports wagering platform's use of the terms would cause irreparable harm.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Ex-Deutsche Bank AG executive Michele Faissola is seeking as much as £500 million ($669 million) in his UK lawsuit over allegations the lender caused irreparable harm to his career, according to people familiar with the matter.—
Arno Schütze,
Bloomberg,
19 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
This leads to what may be a unrecoverable confession from Emma that adds tension to the lead-up to their nuptials.—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
3 Feb. 2026
-
If the government stays closed, the blame will fall on those fighting to protect an agency operating at an unrecoverable trust deficit, pushing out transparent propaganda that Republican politicians are struggling to coherently defend.—
Logan McMillen,
Washington Post,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
These will be Dion’s inaugural performances since being diagnosed with stiff person syndrome—a rare, incurable neurological disorder that causes spasms and other physical difficulties—in 2022.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
30 Mar. 2026
-
The body approved Castillo’s request based on assessments that evaluated her condition as serious and incurable, and that the 25-year-old had severe, chronic and debilitating suffering.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Irrecoverable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/irrecoverable. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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