irrevocable

From Middle French irrévocable, from Latin irrevocabilis; equivalent to ir- +‎ revoke +‎ -able.

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ɪˈɹɛvəkəbəl/, /ˌɪɹəˈvəʊkəbəl/, /ˌɪɹəˈvɒkəbəl/
• (US) IPA^(key): /iˈɹɛvəkəbəl/, /ˌɪɹəˈvoʊkəbəl/, /ˌɪɹiˈvoʊkəbəl/, /ˌɪɹəˈvɑkəbəl/
• (sometimes proscribed)

  Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Pronunciations with antepenultimate stress are common, but sometimes proscribed.

irrevocable (not comparable)

1. Unable to be retracted or reversed; final.

   Synonyms: irreversible, irrepealable

   Antonyms: nonirrevocable, repealable, reversible, revocable

   • c. 1598–1600 (date written), William Shakespeare, “As You Like It”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii]:

     Firm and irrevocable is my doom
     Which I have pass'd upon her; she is banish'd.

   • RQ:Fielding Tom Jones, (Please provide the book title or journal name):

     I have talked thus to you, child, not to insult you for what is past and irrevocable, but to caution and strengthen you for the future.

   • 1846 October 1 – 1848 April 1, Charles Dickens, chapter 61, in Dombey and Son, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1848, →OCLC:

     On each face, wonder and fear were painted vividly; each so still and silent, looking at the other over the black gulf of the irrevocable past.

   • 2005 April 28, Samuel Abt, “Cycling: Cipo retires. Definitely. Absolutely. Yes. Probably”, in New York Times, retrieved 27 April 2014:

     Once again, Mario Cipollini has announced his definite, absolute, unswerving and irrevocable decision to retire, and this time he means it. Probably.

From ir- +‎ revocable.

• IPA^(key): (Central) [i.rə.βuˈkab.blə]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [i.rə.voˈkab.blə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [i.re.voˈka.ble]

• Audio (Barcelona):

  (file)

irrevocable m or f (masculine and feminine plural irrevocables)

1. irrevocable

   Antonym: revocable

• irrevocabilitat
• irrevocablement

• “irrevocable”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007

From Latin irrevocābilis.

• IPA^(key): /ireboˈkable/ [i.re.β̞oˈka.β̞le]
• Rhymes: -able
• Syllabification: i‧rre‧vo‧ca‧ble

irrevocable m or f (masculine and feminine plural irrevocables)

1. irrevocable

• “irrevocable”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025