irretrievable

Examples

• All

• But the past is always irretrievable, and so Walker Boh found it here.

  Fiction book (1991)

• Hector realizes he has broken something precious and, in their circumstances, infinitely fragile and irretrievable.

  Fiction book (1993)

• The past is known to be irretrievable.

  Fiction book (1994)

• The situation was still not irretrievable.

  Fiction book (1993)

• The original integrity of the world is irretrievable.

  Academic text (2009)

• We have decided that, before the situation becomes irretrievable, all should be obligated to pull their own weight.

  Blog text (20)

• For the rest of their lives, often enough, they yearn for the irretrievable.

  Academic text (2003)

• The resulting loss of information for researchers, and ultimately the public at large, is staggering and irretrievable.

  Academic text (1996)

• Once the document was deleted, it became entirely irretrievable from the server.

• The team suffered an irretrievable setback after losing their star player to injury.

Synonyms

I

irreversible

vsirretrievable

46 6.0

Not able to be changed back to how it was

focuses more on irreversibility of state than on inability to regain or repair

I

irreparable

vsirretrievable

24 7.6

Too badly damaged to be fixed or made right again

covers the same irreversibility but also includes inability to regain or reclaim

I

irrevocable

vsirretrievable

14 8.1

Impossible to change or undo

relates broadly to final decisions, while the key stresses recovery or repair impossibility

U

unsalvageable

vsirretrievable

3 7.5

So damaged that it cannot be saved or fixed

is similar but emphasises inability to regain or restore in any sense

I

irredeemable

vsirretrievable

2 8.2

Not able to be changed for the better

is about permanent inability to restore rather than moral or value failure alone

U

unrecoverable

vsirretrievable

2 7.3

Something that cannot be fixed or brought back

adds that recovery and repair are also impossible beyond mere retrieval

I

irrecoverable

vsirretrievable

1 8.8

Impossible to get back or fix

focuses on permanent loss including repair and restoration rather than just return

I

irremediable

vsirretrievable

1 9.6

Not able to be fixed or made better

is more about permanent loss or lack of recovery rather than only treatment

U

unretrievable

vsirretrievable

7.9

Impossible to get back

is about being permanently impossible to restore rather than only hard to reclaim

U

unrepairable

vsirretrievable

4.6

A thing that is too damaged to be fixed and used again

is broader, covering permanent loss or damage beyond repair alone

I

irreclaimable

vsirretrievable

9.9

Not able to be changed for the better

stresses loss of recoverability and repairability rather than moral or reform failure

U

unreturnable

vsirretrievable

6.1

Not able to be made like it was before

is similar but also highlights inability to repair or remedy beyond just return

Antonyms

S

salvageable

12 5.3

Something you can save or fix after damage

R

recoverable

9 4.2

Able to be found or returned after being lost

How Recoverable

recoverable

9 4.2

irreparable

24 7.6

irretrievable

4 8.5

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology