irretrievable

/ˌɪrɪˈtriːvəbl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌɪrɪˈtriːvəbl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌir-i-ˈtrē-və-bəl/ (ame, mw)

irretrievable — 形容詞

  • irretrievablepositive
  • more irretrievablecomparative
  • most irretrievablesuperlative

1. Something that is irretrievable has been so badly damaged, lost, or completely e

1.形容詞C1
釋義

無法挽回

無法恢復或回到原有狀態的

Something that is irretrievable has been so badly damaged, lost, or completely ended that it is impossible to recover it or bring back the situation that existed before.

例句

After the fire, the old library's handwritten books were irretrievable, turned completely to ash.

火災過後，那間老圖書館的手抄本書籍已無法挽回，完全化成了灰燼。

predicate: be + irretrievable (final state)

When the hard drive failed, all of Nadia's baby photos became irretrievable.

硬碟故障時，Nadia 的所有嬰兒照片都變得無法挽回。

pattern: become + irretrievable (change of state)

同義詞
  • irreparable

    Focuses on damage or harm that cannot be fixed (e.g., irreparable harm to a reputation); narrower in use than irretrievable.

  • irreversible

    Describes processes or changes that cannot be undone (e.g., irreversible climate change); more about direction than loss.

  • unrecoverable

    Common for data or financial losses; less formal and more technical than irretrievable.

  • lost

    More general and informal; can mean simply missing, not necessarily permanently impossible to recover.

反義詞
  • retrievable

    Able to be recovered or corrected; the direct opposite.

  • recoverable

    Possible to get back, especially for data or costs.

文法句型

be + irretrievable

become + irretrievable

irretrievable + noun (loss, damage, breakdown)

用法筆記

Typically used in formal contexts with nouns that describe loss, damage, breakdown, or destruction (e.g., irretrievable loss, irretrievable damage, irretrievable breakdown). Avoid using it before concrete objects (books, keys, phones) — instead place it after a linking verb (My phone fell into the river and is irretrievable).

常見錯誤

❌My irretrievable watch fell into the lake.
✅My watch fell into the lake and is irretrievable.
💡'irretrievable' describes the outcome (cannot be recovered), not a permanent quality of the object. Use it after a linking verb.