1
as in hopeless
not capable of being cured or reformed
believed that there was no such thing as an unrecoverable criminal
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in irreparable
not capable of being repaired, regained, or undone
the flood caused unrecoverable damage to our home
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of unrecoverable
Time is scarce and unrecoverable, unlike money.
—
Brian Page, CNBC, 26 Dec. 2025
The contamination can lead to catastrophic engine failure, resulting in a vehicle fire or an unexpected and unrecoverable loss of propulsion.
—James Powel, USA Today, 17 Nov. 2025
Multi-year studies were interrupted and often unrecoverable, loss of support personnel to manage animal facilities and lack of resources to purchase mice, inability to purchase routine critical supplies and equipment.
—D. Scott Schmid, Denver Post, 22 Sep. 2025
The decision to close the LeChee site came after a year of contractual breaches, delays and political interference that caused over $47 million in unrecoverable losses for the company, according to a ZenniHome news release sent out July 14.
—Arlyssa D. Becenti, AZCentral.com, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for unrecoverable
Brian Page, CNBC, 26 Dec. 2025
The contamination can lead to catastrophic engine failure, resulting in a vehicle fire or an unexpected and unrecoverable loss of propulsion.
—James Powel, USA Today, 17 Nov. 2025
Multi-year studies were interrupted and often unrecoverable, loss of support personnel to manage animal facilities and lack of resources to purchase mice, inability to purchase routine critical supplies and equipment.
—D. Scott Schmid, Denver Post, 22 Sep. 2025
The decision to close the LeChee site came after a year of contractual breaches, delays and political interference that caused over $47 million in unrecoverable losses for the company, according to a ZenniHome news release sent out July 14.
—Arlyssa D. Becenti, AZCentral.com, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for unrecoverable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unrecoverable
Adjective
-
Kay seems to be more of a relentless romantic than a hopeless one.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The Swiss Eugen Bleuler, a follower of Kraepelin, replaced the term dementia praecox, which implied hopeless deterioration, with the softer term schizophrenia.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Earlier this year, the Environmental Protection Agency rescinded several longstanding environmental regulations, including gutting the 2009 endangerment finding and rolling back air quality standards for coal-burning power plants, which advocates say will cause irreparable harm.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
27 Apr. 2026
-
The Court’s tendency to side with the White House in such cases, if only temporarily, has allowed serious constitutional harm to continue, and has, in some cases, done irreparable damage.—
Gregg Nunziata,
The Atlantic,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
An irrecoverable loss of the entirety of our personal data.—
Shannon Bond,
NPR,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Broadly speaking, this is probably not irrecoverable damage to the ecosystem.—
Shaun McKinnon,
AZCentral.com,
5 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The outcome hinges on whether Iran can secure an agreement to lift international sanctions — without which economists warn the economic damage could prove irreversible.—
Amir-Hussein Radjy,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
-
For some galaxies, the shutdown might be irreversible, a truly permanent end to star formation, likely due to severe gas loss.—
Paul Sutter,
Space.com,
25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
For Isaac, the film also captures something irretrievable.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Days before, Sheriff Nanos had said images were irretrievable.—
Richard Ruelas,
AZCentral.com,
1 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Poet-activist Andrea Gibson and their partner Megan Falley confront Andrea’s incurable ovarian cancer diagnosis as cameras follow them, exploring how this journey deepens their love and appreciation for life.—
Brande Victorian,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Apr. 2026
-
In the 1980s and 1990s, the figure of the addict abruptly shifted from being considered deserving of medical treatment to being seen as an emblem of incurable criminality.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unrecoverable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unrecoverable. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
