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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in irreparable
not capable of being repaired, regained, or undone
the flood caused unrecoverable damage to our home
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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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
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In a legal career that spanned more than four decades, Rosenbaum took on some of South Florida’s toughest, most hopeless cases.—
Rafael Olmeda,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Mar. 2026
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Every two years, would-be governors, senators, lawmakers, political newcomers and hopeless hopefuls snake through the second floor of the Capitol, taking a very public step toward power.—
Greg Bluestein,
AJC.com,
28 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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This is a harsher version of Rooster’s insistence that anyone can be rehabilitated, one that acknowledges that some damage is irreparable, and that the people who benefit from infinite patience and forgiveness are usually men of privilege.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
5 Mar. 2026
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But three other justices said the court’s decision was not a sign of impatience but rather a reflection of its judgment about the risk of irreparable harm to the parents.—
Ella Lee,
The Hill,
2 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Broadly speaking, this is probably not irrecoverable damage to the ecosystem.—
Joan Meiners,
AZCentral.com,
19 July 2025
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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
Adjective
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Climate tipping points, such as when the melting of West Antarctica or of Greenland’s mile-deep ice sheet becomes irreversible, will have wide-ranging, catastrophic consequences.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
9 Mar. 2026
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By the time the wasp larvae spin their white rice-like cocoons, the caterpillar has suffered irreversible damage and can no longer damage your tomato crop.—
Barbara Gillette,
The Spruce,
9 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
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
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Alcaraz broke the Italian twice, winning the set with an incredible backhand flick from what looked like an irretrievable position and cupping his ear.—
Tim Ellis,
Forbes.com,
13 July 2025
Adjective
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Arcellx is developing a new class of immunotherapies for patients with cancer and other incurable diseases.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
23 Feb. 2026
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Arcellx focuses on immunotherapies for patients with cancer and others with incurable diseases.—
Scott Schnipper,
CNBC,
23 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unrecoverable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unrecoverable. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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