irreducible

[ ir-i-doo-suh-buhl, -dyoo- ]

adjective

1. not reducible; incapable of being reduced or of being diminished or simplified further:

   the irreducible minimum.

2. incapable of being brought into a different condition or form.
3. Mathematics.
   1. of or relating to a polynomial that cannot be factored.
   2. of or relating to a group that cannot be written as the direct product of two of its subgroups.

irreducible

/ ˌɪrɪˈdjuːsɪbəl /

adjective

1. not able to be reduced or lessened
2. not able to be brought to a simpler or reduced form
3. maths
   1. (of a polynomial) unable to be factorized into polynomials of lower degree, as ( x ² + 1)
   2. (of a radical) incapable of being reduced to a rational expression, as √( x + 1)

Derived Forms

• ˌirreˈducibly, adverb
• ˌirreˌduciˈbility, noun

Other Words From

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of irreducible¹

First recorded in 1625–35; ir- ² + reducible

Example Sentences

I realize this is heresy, but I think it’s important to acknowledge the irreducible strangeness of the drama.

From Los Angeles Times

The larger the integrated information, the more the circuit is irreducible, the less it can be considered just the superposition of independent subcircuits.

From Scientific American

There’s a gap — or a lag, maybe — between how new technologies can reduce our personhood to data, and the irreducible facts of our bodies, our health, our need to eat and sleep.

From New York Times

And astronomers say that, given irreducible gaps in our knowledge of ’Oumuamua, this new proposal may never be fully accepted either.

From Scientific American

“The Venezuelan people reiterate their firm and irreducible determination to defend our sovereignty.”

From Washington Post