irreversible

1 of 2

adjective

ir·​re·​vers·​ible ˌir-i-ˈvər-sə-bəl 

: not reversible

irreversibility

ˌir-i-ˌvər-sə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

irreversibly

ˌir-i-ˈvər-sə-blē 

adverb

irreversibility

2 of 2

noun

ir·​reversibility ¦i 

¦ir, 

¦iə+

: the quality or state of being irreversible

Synonyms of irreversible

Adjective

• irreparable

Examples of irreversible in a Sentence

Adjective

He suffered an irreversible loss of vision.

The crisis has done irreversible harm to the countries' relations.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Make nothing irreversible in the same meeting where the anger showed up. — Larry Bomback, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026

Other children are developing severe and irreversible neurological damage because of brain inflammation, or encephalitis, Shirey said. — Erika Edwards, NBC news, 5 Oct. 2026

The damage that nefarious non-state and state actors, or even rogue AI agents themselves, could unleash could do irreversible damage to nearly any part of our economy and society. — Elizabeth Shackelford, Chicago Tribune, 2 Oct. 2026

Intervening in childhood could save them from decades of irreversible damage. — Babak J. Orandi, STAT, 1 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1630, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for irreversible

• dispersible
• reversible
• submersible
• nonreimbursable
• reimbursable

Kids Definition

irreversible

adjective

ir·​re·​vers·​ible ˌir-i-ˈvər-sə-bəl 

: impossible to reverse

an irreversible chemical reaction

irreversible damage

irreversibility

-ˌvər-sə-ˈbil-ət-ē 

noun

irreversibly

-ˈvər-sə-blē 

adverb

Medical Definition

irreversible

adjective

ir·​re·​vers·​ible ˌir-i-ˈvər-sə-bəl 

: 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

irreversibility

-ˌvər-sə-ˈbil-ət-ē 

noun

plural irreversibilities

irreversibly

-ˈvər-sə-blē 

adverb

Legal Definition

irreversible

adjective

ir·​re·​ver·​si·​ble ˌir-rə-ˈvər-sə-bəl 

: not reversible

an irreversible decision