Synonyms

irrevocably

American

[ih-rev-uh-kuh-blee] / ɪˈrɛv ə kə bli /

adverb

in a way that can never be reversed, undone, or canceled; permanently.

The huge manuscript is unbound looseleaf and there are no page numbers, so if you drop it the whole thing is irrevocably scrambled.

Other Word Forms

nonirrevocably adverb

Etymology

Origin of irrevocably

irrevocab(le) ( def. ) + -ly

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.

Figures like Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar and Napoleon were adventurers, and while perhaps not personally admirable, they changed history and changed it irrevocably:

From Salon • Mar. 28, 2026

"The world order and the multilateral system we used to know has irrevocably changed," she said, adding: "We cannot deny the scale of the problems confronting the world today."

From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026

“While there are still moments of acute crisis that arise, there is also acceptance and profound grief amongst our members that life is irrevocably different now.”

From Slate • Feb. 2, 2026

“I just hope the criminal justice system doesn’t irrevocably damage that relationship.”

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 17, 2025

I Robert James Fischer do hereby irrevocably and permanently renounce my U.S. citizenship and all the supposed rights and privileges of United States citizenship.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023