Irretrievable

  • 1Irretrievable — Ir re*triev a*ble, a. Not retrievable; irrecoverable; irreparable; as, an irretrievable loss. Syn: Irremediable; incurable; irrecoverable. [1913 Webster] …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 2irretrievable — UK US /ˌɪrɪˈtriːvəbl/ adjective ► used to describe something that is impossible to correct or return to a previously good condition or situation: »an irretrievable situation irretrievably ► »The insurance company will pay if your wedding… …

    Financial and business terms

  • 3irretrievable — I adjective dissipated, dissolved, forfeited, given up, gone, hopelessly lost, inreparabilis, irreclaimable, irrecoverable, irredeemable, irreparable, lost, past recall, spent, unrecoverable, untraceable, vanished II index irrecoverable …

    Law dictionary

  • 4irretrievable — (adj.) 1690s (implied in irretrievably), from assimilated form of IN (Cf. in ) (1) not, opposite of + retrievable (see RETRIEVE (Cf. retrieve)). Related: Irretrievably …

    Etymology dictionary

  • 5irretrievable — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ not able to be retrieved. DERIVATIVES irretrievably adverb …

    English terms dictionary

  • 6irretrievable — [ir΄ritrēv′ə bəl, ir΄itrēv′ə bəl] adj. that cannot be retrieved, recovered, restored, or recalled irretrievability n. irretrievably adv …

    English World dictionary

  • 7irretrievable — [[t]ɪ̱rɪtri͟ːvəb(ə)l[/t]] ADJ If you talk about irretrievable damage or an irretrievable situation, you mean that the damage or situation is so bad that there is no possibility of putting it right. [FORMAL] What a tragedy if the sport suffers… …

    English dictionary

  • 8irretrievable — ir|re|triev|a|ble [ˌırıˈtri:vəbəl] adj formal 1.) an irretrievable situation cannot be made right again ▪ the irretrievable breakdown of their marriage 2.) irretrievable loss the loss of something that you can never get back >irretrievably adv …

    Dictionary of contemporary English

  • 9irretrievable — adjective formal 1 an irretrievable situation cannot be made right again: the irretrievable breakdown of their marriage 2 irretrievable loss the loss of something that you can never get back irretrievably adverb: irretrievably lost …

    Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • 10irretrievable — adjective Not retrievable; irrecoverable; irreparable; as, an irretrievable loss …

    Wiktionary