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
Increasing blessedness tends to anesthetize personality, but, especially in Hell, Dante’s characters are irreducible individuals, vivid and particular.
—
Elisa Gonzalez, The New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2025
Increasing blessedness tends to anesthetize personality, but, especially in Hell, Dante’s characters are irreducible individuals, vivid and particular.
—Elisa Gonzalez, The New Yorker, 3 Feb. 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
See All Example Sentences for irreducible
Elisa Gonzalez, The New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2025
Increasing blessedness tends to anesthetize personality, but, especially in Hell, Dante’s characters are irreducible individuals, vivid and particular.
—Elisa Gonzalez, The New Yorker, 3 Feb. 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
See All Example Sentences for irreducible
Recent Examples of Synonyms for irreducible
Adjective
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Their overall role is still small but significantly elevated when viewed as part of the non-carbon share.—
Scott Montgomery,
Forbes.com,
6 Aug. 2025
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His music is treasured by a small but intensely dedicated fanbase that includes more than a few rock legends who came up alongside and after him.—
George Varga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The elderly man suffered minor injuries, and toughed out the blow, refusing medical attention at the scene of the attack, authorities said.—
Nicholas Williams,
New York Daily News,
7 Aug. 2025
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In April, the government quietly revoked the visas of thousands of students who had allegedly committed minor legal infractions before abruptly reversing the policy.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
7 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Irreducible.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/irreducible. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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