adj · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
UK:/ˌɪr.ɪˈvɜː.sə.bəl/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
US:/ˌɪr.ɪˈvɝ.sə.bəl/
CMU ARPABET:IH2 R IH0 V ER1 S AH0 B AH0 L
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
Incapable of being reversed or turned about or back; incapable of being made to run backwards.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
Examples
an irreversible engine
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
adj
Meaning 2
Incapable of being reversed, recalled, repealed, or annulled.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
Examples
an irreversible sentence or decree
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
adj
Meaning 3
Incapable of being reversed to the original state without consumption of free energy and increase of entropy.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
adjective
Meaning 4
incapable of being reversed
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
irreversible momentum toward revolution
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: reversible
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Italic *n̥- Latin in- Latin ir- English ir- English reversible English irreversible From ir- + reversible.
Across languages
Translations
48 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Armenian:
անշրջելի
(anšrǰeli)
— incapable of being reversed
Belarusian:
неабарача́льны
(njeabaračálʹny)
— incapable of being reversed
Bulgarian:
необратим
(neobratim)
— incapable of being reversed
Catalan:
irreversible
— incapable of being reversed
Chinese Mandarin:
不可逆
(bùkěnì)
— incapable of being reversed
Czech:
nevratný
— incapable of being reversed
Dutch:
onomkeerbaar
— incapable of being reversed
Esperanto:
nereversebla
— incapable of being reversed
Estonian:
pöördumatu
— incapable of being reversed
Finnish:
peruuttamaton
— incapable of being reversed
French:
irréversible
— incapable of being reversed
Georgian:
შეუქცევადი
(šeukcevadi)
— incapable of being reversed
Georgian:
გამოუსწორებადი
(gamousc̣orebadi)
— incapable of being reversed
Georgian:
არაუკუქცევადი
(arauḳukcevadi)
— incapable of being reversed
German:
irreversibel
— incapable of being reversed
German:
unumkehrbar
— incapable of being reversed
Greek:
αδιάστρεπτος
(adiástreptos)
— incapable of being reversed
Greek:
αμετάτρεπτος
(ametátreptos)
— incapable of being reversed
Hungarian:
visszafordíthatatlan
— incapable of being reversed
Irish:
dochúlaithe
— incapable of being reversed
Italian:
irreversibile
— incapable of being reversed
Japanese:
不可逆
(fukagyaku)
— incapable of being reversed
Korean:
뒤집을 수 없는
(dwijibeul su eomneun)
— incapable of being reversed
Manx:
neuyantagh cur ergooyl
— incapable of being reversed
Manx:
neuyantagh dy chur er ash
— incapable of being reversed
Norwegian Bokmål:
irreversibel
— incapable of being reversed
Norwegian Nynorsk:
irreversibel
— incapable of being reversed
Polish:
nieodwracalny
— incapable of being reversed
Portuguese:
irreversível
— incapable of being reversed
Romanian:
ireversibil
— incapable of being reversed
Russian:
необрати́мый
(neobratímyj)
— incapable of being reversed
Spanish:
irreversible
— incapable of being reversed
Swedish:
oåterkallelig
— incapable of being reversed
Swedish:
irreversibel
— incapable of being reversed
Tagalog:
ditumbalikin
— incapable of being reversed
Ukrainian:
незворотний
(nezvorotnyj)
— incapable of being reversed
Ukrainian:
необоротни́й
(neoborotnýj)
— incapable of being reversed
Welsh:
anghildroadwy
— incapable of being reversed
Bulgarian:
неотменим
(neotmenim)
— incapable of being reversed, recalled, repealed, or annulled
Chinese Mandarin:
不可逆轉的 /不可逆转的
(bùkě nìzhuǎn de)
— incapable of being reversed, recalled, repealed, or annulled
Chinese Mandarin:
無可挽回的 /无可挽回的
(wúkě wǎnhuí de)
— incapable of being reversed, recalled, repealed, or annulled
Esperanto:
nereversebla
— incapable of being reversed, recalled, repealed, or annulled
Korean:
돌이킬 수 없는
(dorikil su eomneun)
— incapable of being reversed, recalled, repealed, or annulled
Norwegian Bokmål:
irreversibel
— incapable of being reversed, recalled, repealed, or annulled
Norwegian Nynorsk:
irreversibel
— incapable of being reversed, recalled, repealed, or annulled
Polish:
nieodwołalny
— incapable of being reversed, recalled, repealed, or annulled
Portuguese:
irreversível
— incapable of being reversed, recalled, repealed, or annulled
Tagalog:
ditumbalikin
— incapable of being reversed, recalled, repealed, or annulled