irrevocable
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of irrevocable
First recorded in 1350–1400; a Middle English word from the Latin word irrevocābilis; see ir- 2, revocable
Explanation
If you're on a diet but eat one tiny piece of chocolate, it might start an irrevocable slide into bad eating. Describe something as irrevocable if it cannot be undone or taken back. If you break down irrevocable, you wind up with ir "not," re "back" and vocable from the Latin vocare "to call." So if something is irrevocable, you cannot call it back — it is permanent. You must fulfill an irrevocable promise and live with an irrevocable decision. A law is irrevocable if it states within the law that it cannot be nullified. Now that's final!
Vocabulary lists containing irrevocable
Grade 9, List 3
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"The Black Cat" by Edgar Allan Poe
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The Bluest Eye
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The newspaper also reported that a legal document was signed stating that the gift was "unconditional and irrevocable".
From BBC • Apr. 30, 2026
The ruling at the UK's highest court said adoption should be "permanent and irrevocable" except in rare cases where an adoption decision had been wrongly taken.
From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026
Avoid putting off Medicaid applications until the 11th hour, making cash gifts that exceed tax-free limits and/or transferring property without fully understanding Medicaid rules; and failing to consider irrevocable trusts or other sound legal strategies.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 26, 2026
Having part of the couple’s money tied up in an irrevocable trust means it is difficult for the widow or widower to make future changes, such as removing a child as a beneficiary.
From Barron's • Feb. 28, 2026
I knew at exactly what point their faces would fall when my seemingly simple and childlike strategy would reveal itself as a devastating and irrevocable course.
From "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
