as in small
formal
not able to be made smaller or simpler
They thought the world was made up of four irreducible elements: earth, air, fire, and water. an irreducible fraction
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Recent Examples of irreducible
The Doomsday Clock is also political, picturing conditions that collectively contribute to the irreducible reality of a world in peril.
—
Jonathon Keats, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025
Surely somebody was on the inside, holding power, and yet everybody here felt iced out, their privilege and their victimhood irreducible against one another; each personal combination private, hurtful, and too tender to touch.
—Daisy Hildyard, The New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2024
The refined view of entropy is one that sheds the false dreams of total efficiency and perfect prediction and instead concedes the irreducible uncertainty in the world.
—Zack Savitsky, Quanta Magazine, 13 Dec. 2024
Policymakers should challenge the presumption that there is an irreducible tradeoff between data analysis and privacy—the notion that although more data may improve the accuracy of models for the public good, the cost to privacy is too high.
—Andrew Imbrie, Foreign Affairs, 19 Jan. 2022
See All Example Sentences for irreducible
Jonathon Keats, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025
Surely somebody was on the inside, holding power, and yet everybody here felt iced out, their privilege and their victimhood irreducible against one another; each personal combination private, hurtful, and too tender to touch.
—Daisy Hildyard, The New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2024
The refined view of entropy is one that sheds the false dreams of total efficiency and perfect prediction and instead concedes the irreducible uncertainty in the world.
—Zack Savitsky, Quanta Magazine, 13 Dec. 2024
Policymakers should challenge the presumption that there is an irreducible tradeoff between data analysis and privacy—the notion that although more data may improve the accuracy of models for the public good, the cost to privacy is too high.
—Andrew Imbrie, Foreign Affairs, 19 Jan. 2022
See All Example Sentences for irreducible
Recent Examples of Synonyms for irreducible
Adjective
-
But the proposal would only actually impact a small few — billionaires.—
Paris Barraza,
USA Today,
21 Feb. 2026
-
The first call for help was a silent text message from an emergency beacon, mobilizing a small army of rescuers dispatched from different directions.—
Ray Sanchez,
CNN Money,
21 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
He was convicted eight years earlier of solicitation of prostitution involving a minor.—
Michael R. Sisak,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Feb. 2026
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The mountains are expected to see minor snowfall going into next week for areas with elevation above 3,000 feet.—
Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado
Updated February 20,
Sacbee.com,
21 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Irreducible.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/irreducible. Accessed 27 Feb. 2026.
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