irresistible

[ ir-i-zis-tuh-buhl ]

adjective

1. not resistible; incapable of being resisted or withstood:

   an irresistible impulse.

2. lovable, especially calling forth feelings of protective love:

   an irresistible puppy.

3. enticing; tempting to possess:

   an irresistible necklace.

noun

1. an irresistible person or thing.

irresistible

/ ˌɪrɪˈzɪstəbəl /

adjective

1. not able to be resisted or refused; overpowering

   an irresistible impulse

2. very fascinating or alluring

   an irresistible woman

Derived Forms

• ˌirreˌsistiˈbility, noun
• ˌirreˈsistibly, adverb

Other Words From

• irre·sisti·bili·ty irre·sisti·ble·ness noun
• irre·sisti·bly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of irresistible¹

From the Medieval Latin word irresistibilis, dating back to 1590–1600. See ir- ², resistible

Example Sentences

A number of pieces showed off Wise’s facility with an FM radio-friendly pop-rock sound: “Hot Head Bop” had an irresistible bass lick, “Mining Melancholy” was driven by pickax percussion and “Bayou Boogie” borrowed — for the swamp level — the doom-laden opening drum pattern from Phil Collins’s “In the Air Tonight.”

From New York Times

“Migration Watch were very, very important,” says David Yelland, a former editor of The Sun, “because they put numbers on the problem and once you have numbers, you have an irresistible force in the newsroom.”

From BBC

There’s an irresistible sense of the importance of time at such events.

From BBC

He may be lying when he claims the expensive watch he bought was his father’s, but he comes across as irresistible because Bravo effortlessly sells it.

From Salon

But the lure of working with LuPone and O’Brien, both long-time friends, proved irresistible.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• alluring
• charming
• fascinating
• inevitable
• inexorable
• invincible
• overpowering
• overwhelming
• potent
• powerful
• seductive
• tempting
• unavoidable