irreparable

adjective

ir·​rep·​a·​ra·​ble i-ˈre-p(ə-)rə-bəl 

ˌi(r)-,

also nonstandard

ˌir-(r)ə-ˈper-ə-bəl 

: not reparable : irremediable

irreparable damage

irreparableness noun

irreparably

i-ˈre-p(ə-)rə-blē 

ˌi(r)-

 also nonstandard  ˌir-(r)ə-ˈper-ə-blē

adverb

Synonyms

• irrecoverable
• irredeemable
• irremediable
• irretrievable
• irreversible
• unrecoverable
• unredeemable

Examples of irreparable in a Sentence

The oil spill did irreparable harm to the bay.

The damage to their relationship was irreparable.

Recent Examples on the Web

The suit alleged that Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, was causing irreparable harm to the mental health of young adults. —Jason Seher, CNN, 10 Sep. 2024

Not all of the losses on Perpetua’s list are irreparable and thus permanent. —David Axe, Forbes, 3 Sep. 2024

The tribe is concerned about the danger of irreparable damage to one of its most sacred places. —Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY, 9 Aug. 2024

The tribe says it's frustrated after several years of attempting to have its people's voices heard by the federal government about the danger of irreparable damage to one of their most sacred and culturally important places, and asked the U.S. District Court to halt the exploratory drilling. —Debra Utacia Krol, The Arizona Republic, 8 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin irreparabilis, from in- + reparabilis reparable

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

irreparable

adjective

ir·​rep·​a·​ra·​ble (ˈ)ir-ˈ(r)ep-(ə-)rə-bəl 

: not capable of being repaired or regained

an irreparable loss

irreparably

-blē 

adverb

Legal Definition

irreparable

adjective

ir·​rep·​a·​ra·​ble i-ˈre-pə-rə-bəl, -prə-bəl 

: impossible to repair, remedy, or undo

irreparably adverb