unrecoverable

IPA/ˌʌnrɪˈkʌvərəbl/
IPA/ˌʌnrɪˈkʌvərəbl/

unrecoverable — adjective

  • unrecoverablepositive
  • more unrecoverablecomparative
  • most unrecoverablesuperlative

1. Describes money, files, or other things that have been lost and cannot be brough

1.adjectiveC1
Definition

Describes money, files, or other things that have been lost and cannot be brought back or restored.

Example

After the laptop crashed, Hui discovered that months of photos were unrecoverable.

pattern: files become unrecoverable after a crash

The bank warned Tariq that the wire fee would be unrecoverable.

finance: unrecoverable fee after payment

Common collocations
  • unrecoverable data
  • unrecoverable files
  • unrecoverable loss
  • unrecoverable debt
  • unrecoverable cost
  • unrecoverable fee
Synonyms
  • irretrievable

    the closest synonym; slightly more formal and often used in legal, financial, or emotional contexts

  • lost

    more general; something can be lost without being impossible to recover

  • gone

    more informal and emotional; common in speech when something has disappeared

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

be + unrecoverable

become + unrecoverable

Usage Note

Most often used for money, digital files, fees, or losses that have passed the point where they can realistically be returned. It commonly appears after verbs such as 'lose', 'delete', 'spend', or 'become'.

Common Mistakes

The broken screen is unrecoverable.
The data on the broken phone is unrecoverable.
use 'unrecoverable' for something you cannot get back, not for physical damage that cannot be repaired.
My bag is unrecoverable because I cannot find it now.
My bag is missing, but it may still be found.
'unrecoverable' implies there is no realistic way to get it back, not just that it is temporarily lost.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

'Unrecoverable' is more technical than 'lost' or 'gone'. It tells you not only that something has disappeared, but also that there is no practical way to get it back. 'Irretrievable' is the closest synonym and sounds slightly more formal, especially in legal, financial, or emotional writing. 'Lost' is broader: a file can be lost for an hour and still be recovered later. 'Gone' is informal and often emotional in speech. 'Destroyed' focuses on physical damage, while 'unrecoverable' focuses on failed return or restoration, so data can be unrecoverable even when the device still exists. A misplaced backup is only lost; a deleted backup with no copy may be unrecoverable.

irretrievable ↗lost ↗gone ↗destroyed ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • be unrecoverable
  • become unrecoverable
  • render something unrecoverable

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishModern English

Built from the negative prefix 'un-' and the adjective-forming suffix '-able' on the verb 'recover'. 'Recover' came into English through Old French from Latin 'recuperare', meaning 'to regain or get back'. As a result, 'unrecoverable' literally means 'not able to be regained'. It is especially common in formal writing about money, data, and losses.

First known use

15th century

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1