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irreconcilable

irreconcilable

11 7.7
So different that people cannot agree
  • adjective
  • /ˌɪrɪˈkɒnsɪləbəl/
translation icon : irreconciliable
  • There were two national communities in Palestine and there were irreconcilable differences on fundamental questions.
  • irreconcilable differences
  • irreconcilable conflict
  • irreconcilable views

The two things are irreconcilable, OK?

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Examples

  • Neither of my folks offered me a reason for their split except "irreconcilable differences."

    Fiction book (2001)
  • Recurring arguments, attraction to a co-worker, or simple boredom can lead to irreconcilable differences.

  • On the other hand, there are those who believe that there is an irreconcilable difference.

    Academic text (2017)
  • Could you tell us, what were those irreconcilable differences?

  • We just have irreconcilable differences.

  • The First World War and the Russian Revolution drove the parties to an irreconcilable split.

    Academic text (1992)
  • As Mrs. Turner has decided to drop all claims, I hereby grant her divorce on the grounds of irreconcilable differences.

  • Individuals and religious groups have sharply divergent and irreconcilable views on the morality of abortion.

    Academic text (2017)
  • Some of the most memorable characters in literature embody two or more extreme, irreconcilable traits.

    Academic text (2011)
  • The couple, who share a daughter and son, cited irreconcilable differences for their split.

Synonyms

disparate
vsirreconcilable
37 7.9

Different in type so they cannot be easily compared

adds that such differences make agreement or compatibility impossible
discordant
vsirreconcilable
9 7.4

Not fitting together and often clashing in sound or opinion

stresses that the clash cannot be settled or made compatible
worlds apart
vsirreconcilable
  • Informal
9 4.5

People or things that are very different and have nothing important in common

emphasizes formal impossibility of agreement rather than vivid distance
conflicting
vsirreconcilable
7 4.2

Having ideas, facts, or feelings that do not agree with each other

implies a deeper, irreparable incompatibility rather than ordinary disagreement
oil and water
vsirreconcilable
  • Informal
1 4.6

People or things that are completely different and do not get along

adds that the mismatch cannot be resolved or made compatible
couldn't be more different
vsirreconcilable
1 5.0

Very different from each other in every way

marks those extreme differences as impossible to reconcile or make compatible
dissonant
vsirreconcilable
1 7.1

Colors, opinions, or sounds that do not match and seem to clash

is stronger, meaning the lack of harmony cannot be fixed or reconciled
unreconciled
vsirreconcilable
1 7.2

People or things that do not agree with each other

stresses an absolute impossible-fit sense rather than just an unresolved state
chalk and cheese
vsirreconcilable
  • UK
1 6.3

Two people or things that are completely different from each other

frames this incompatibility as an inherent inability to reach agreement
unreconcilable
vsirreconcilable
7.7

Impossible to make two people or ideas agree

is the same meaning expressed by the main term rather than a variant form
chasmic
vsirreconcilable
9.1

A very large difference between people, groups, or ideas

focuses more on inability to reach agreement rather than only large separation
as different as dog and cat
vsirreconcilable
  • Informal
6.9

Very different from each other in important ways

signals actual impossibility of compatibility rather than just strong difference
unassimilable
vsirreconcilable
9.1

Hard to become accepted into a group or culture

is broader, stressing that differences cannot be brought into agreement
inassimilable
vsirreconcilable
9.9

Unable to become part of a group, culture, or system

focuses on disagreement and lack of compatibility rather than only integration
clashing
vsirreconcilable
4.9

Having colors, patterns or ideas that do not go well together

refers to conflict that cannot be resolved into agreement
disharmonic
vsirreconcilable
8.2

Not matching other things in look, feeling, or ideas

carries a firmer sense that the incompatibility cannot be resolved

Antonyms

112 4.1

Able to exist or work together without conflict

1 5.6

People can make them agree or work together

How Reconcilable

reconcilable
1 5.6
harmonious
14 4.2
compatible
112 4.1
different
1.0
conflicting
7 4.2
incompatible
41 6.2
irreconcilable
11 7.7

Surface Forms

irreconcilable positive

Morphology

irreconcilable = reconcilable (transparent) = ir + reconcile + able

The negative prefix 'ir-' attaches to the adjective 'reconcilable' to give the straightforward opposite meaning.

Etymology

Irreconcilable comes from re- 'again' and concile 'bring together', the same root as council, a group that brings people together. So irreconcilable means things or people that cannot be brought together or made to agree.