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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of irrecoverable
Countless documents were left lying out in the open and quickly became irrecoverable.
—
Amer Matar,
The Dial,
26 May 2026
At the same time, much of the world is facing water bankruptcy, meaning people and industries are using more fresh water than nature can replenish, leading to irrecoverable ecosystem damages.
—
Abraham Nunbogu,
Fortune,
29 Apr. 2026
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 Duties are irrecoverable whereas VAT paid by a business can in principle be reclaimed, but not always.
—
Robert Marchant,
Forbes.com,
14 May 2025
Amer Matar,
The Dial,
26 May 2026
At the same time, much of the world is facing water bankruptcy, meaning people and industries are using more fresh water than nature can replenish, leading to irrecoverable ecosystem damages.
—
Abraham Nunbogu,
Fortune,
29 Apr. 2026
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 Duties are irrecoverable whereas VAT paid by a business can in principle be reclaimed, but not always.
—
Robert Marchant,
Forbes.com,
14 May 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for irrecoverable
Adjective
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The conflict feels contemporary without growing too cynical, and the core relationship stakes seem real without skewing hopeless.
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The situation of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank would almost certainly worsen and become more hopeless.
Adjective
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If scar tissue is too severe, if prior surgeries have left the blood supply compromised, or if a patient's goals aren't achievable without unacceptable risk, proceeding could cause irreversible damage.
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Global economies have already weighed energy options beyond the Middle East, as the war in Iran has put irreversible pressure on the oil industry, according to Karen Young, a researcher at Columbia University.
Adjective
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The message had found us, against steep odds, but the meaning was irretrievable.
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For Isaac, the film also captures something irretrievable.
Adjective
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The judge found the department overstepped its authority by adding criteria not specified by Congress, agreeing the rule would cause irreparable harm.
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Plus, dust will collect if they’ve been forgotten about, causing irreparable damage.
Adjective
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The business also has made Space Shuttle drag parachutes for the orbiter, and parachutes that deploy from the tails of F-22 and F-35 military jets to break them from unrecoverable stalls or spins.
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By the time the offline assay confirmed what the cells were doing, hours had passed, and the batch was unrecoverable.
Adjective
-
Patients with incurable or irreversible conditions will no longer have to certify annually.
-
She had been diagnosed in 2006 — at age 46 — with late-stage follicular non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which has long been deemed incurable.
Cite this Entry
“Irrecoverable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/irrecoverable. Accessed 1 Jul. 2026.
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