irreversible

adjective ir·re·vers·ible \ˌir-i-ˈvər-sə-bəl\

: impossible to change back to a previous condition or state

Full Definition of IRREVERSIBLE

: not reversible

— ir·re·vers·ibil·i·ty \-ˌvər-sə-ˈbi-lə-tē\ noun

— ir·re·vers·ibly \-ˈvər-sə-blē\ adverb

See irreversible defined for English-language learners

See irreversible defined for kids

First Known Use of IRREVERSIBLE

1630

Related to IRREVERSIBLE

Synonyms: irrecoverable, irredeemable, irremediable, irretrievable, irreparable, unrecoverable, unredeemable

Antonyms: correctable, corrigible, fixable, redeemable, remediable, repairable, reparable, retrievable, undoable

Rhymes with IRREVERSIBLE

incoercible

IRREVERSIBLE Defined for Kids

irreversible

adjective ir·re·vers·i·ble \ˌir-i-ˈvər-sə-bəl\

Definition of IRREVERSIBLE for Kids

: impossible to change back to a previous condition : impossible to reverse <irreversible harm>

Medical Dictionary

irreversible

adjective ir·re·vers·ible \ˌir-i-ˈvər-sə-bəl\

Medical Definition of IRREVERSIBLE

: incapable of being reversed : not reversible <an irreversible medical procedure>: as a : impossible to make run or take place backward <irreversible chemical syntheses> b of a colloid : incapable of undergoing transformation from sol to gel or vice versa c of a pathological process : of such severity that recovery is impossible <irreversible brain damage>