1
as in hopeless
not capable of being cured or reformed
believed that there was no such thing as an unrecoverable criminal
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in irreparable
not capable of being repaired, regained, or undone
the flood caused unrecoverable damage to our home
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of unrecoverable
Multi-year studies were interrupted and often unrecoverable, loss of support personnel to manage animal facilities and lack of resources to purchase mice, inability to purchase routine critical supplies and equipment.
—
D. Scott Schmid, Denver Post, 22 Sep. 2025
Instead, in the U.S., projects are litigated and delayed, often to make the project economics untenable and the investment unrecoverable.
—Anna Broughel, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025
Minutes later, the list reached an unrecoverable 45 degrees; the ship slowly and silently sank, its starboard side resting on the river bottom.
—Michael Peregrine, Chicago Tribune, 24 July 2025
The decision to close the LeChee site came after a year of contractual breaches, delays and political interference that caused over $47 million in unrecoverable losses for the company, according to a ZenniHome news release sent out July 14.
—Arlyssa D. Becenti, AZCentral.com, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for unrecoverable
D. Scott Schmid, Denver Post, 22 Sep. 2025
Instead, in the U.S., projects are litigated and delayed, often to make the project economics untenable and the investment unrecoverable.
—Anna Broughel, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025
Minutes later, the list reached an unrecoverable 45 degrees; the ship slowly and silently sank, its starboard side resting on the river bottom.
—Michael Peregrine, Chicago Tribune, 24 July 2025
The decision to close the LeChee site came after a year of contractual breaches, delays and political interference that caused over $47 million in unrecoverable losses for the company, according to a ZenniHome news release sent out July 14.
—Arlyssa D. Becenti, AZCentral.com, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for unrecoverable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unrecoverable
Adjective
-
In the wild, these mutants are hopeless, failing to send offspring into the world.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Neglecting himself to worship a projection, Narcissus isn’t so much struck down by the gods as he is lost to hopeless delusion.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
20 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
-
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
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
-
This dreamscape of the island, like that of the jungle, illuminates in children’s literature a sense of utopia and longing about childhood as a not-quite-place, situated in an irretrievable past-yet-future, while at the same time rooted in an anti-utopian logic of adulthood.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Nov. 2025
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
“Unrecoverable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unrecoverable. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
