unretrievable

7.9

Impossible to get back

adjective
/ˌʌn.rɪˈtriv.ə.bəl/

: irreversible

After the fire, many old documents were unretrievable due to the damage.

Examples

Once the email was deleted, it became unretrievable from the server.
If you had a soul, I feel like it's unretrievable.

Beyond the Law (2019)
The data was lost in a system crash and is now considered unretrievable.

Synonyms

irretrievable

vsunretrievable

4 8.5

You cannot get it back or fix it after it is lost

is identical in meaning and serves as an alternative form

unsalvageable

vsunretrievable

3 7.5

So damaged that it cannot be saved or fixed

is broader, meaning permanently lost rather than simply broken

unrecoverable

vsunretrievable

2 7.3

Something that cannot be fixed or brought back

is about permanent inability to return something to use

irrecoverable

vsunretrievable

1 8.8

Impossible to get back or fix

is focused on permanent loss rather than temporary absence

unreclaimable

vsunretrievable

8.1

No one can return land, objects, or memories to a usable state

is used for items lost permanently rather than temporarily unavailable

irreclaimable

vsunretrievable

9.9

Not able to be changed for the better

is about permanent unusability or loss rather than inability to reform

Antonyms

recoverable

9 4.2

Able to be found or returned after being lost

retrievable

2 5.3

You can find again, often with effort

How Recoverable

recoverable

9 4.2

restorable

1 3.9

unretrievable

7.9

Surface Forms

unretrievable positive

Morphology

unretrievable = retrievable (transparent) = un + retrieve + able

The adjective is formed by negating 'retrievable' with the productive prefix 'un-', producing the straightforward meaning 'not retrievable'.

Etymology

Unretrievable is built from parts you already know: un- meaning 'not', retrieve meaning 'to get back', as when you pick up a thrown ball, and -able meaning 'able'. So unretrievable means 'not able to be recovered', which is why we use it for things you cannot get back.