irretrievably
- adverb
- /ˌɪrɪˈtrivəbli/
- Without its religion, Mexico is irretrievably lost.
- irretrievably lost
Examples
-
In two weeks, Kresge would sit in a courtroom and solemnly swear that his marriage was irretrievably broken.
Fiction book (1999) -
Once the deadline passed, the opportunity to apply was irretrievably gone.
-
Many, many things have been irretrievably lost.
Academic text (1991) -
For us, paradise is irretrievably lost, and it is better that way: now we belong only to ourselves.
Fiction book (1994) -
So a lot of information about Etowah has been irretrievably lost.
Academic text (2008) -
The results are irretrievably polluted.
Academic text (2009) -
To these aging gentlemen, another part of the Old South seemed as irretrievably lost as courtly manners and virgin forests.
Academic text (1990) -
The fossil record itself is paradoxical: by its very survival, it hints at what has been irretrievably lost.
Academic text (1999) -
The micrometeorites that land in our everyday environment are irretrievably lost among tiny particles of terrestrial dirt.
Academic text (2001) -
Its pendant, Western Merchants in an Oriental Port, was irretrievably lost during the initial fire in 1871.
Academic text (2004)
Synonyms
So that something cannot be changed or undone
In a way you cannot fix or make right
In a way that cannot be changed back
In a way that you can never change or fix
In a way that cannot be fixed
In a way that cannot be given back or fixed
In a way that cannot be fixed or returned to how it was before
In a way that cannot be brought back or fixed
In a way nothing can save or make better
How Recoverable
Surface Forms
Morphology
irretrievably = irretrievable (transparent) = ir + retrieve + able + ly
The adverb is a straightforward -ly formation from the adjective 'irretrievable'.
Etymology
Irretrievably is made from ir- meaning 'not' and retrieve meaning 'to get back', so it describes something you 'cannot get back' or 'cannot fix'.