irretrievably en · ADV
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
Etymology
Etymology tree English irretrievable Middle English -ly English -ly English irretrievably From irretrievable + -ly.
Meanings
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In an irretrievable manner; irrecoverably.
Old English seems, and remains, irretrievably distant[.]
1985, Robert Burchfield, The English Language, Oxford: Oxford University Press, page 17:Such comments needlessly and irretrievably polarize the collective and its neighbors.
1986 February 15, John Cronin, “More To It Than Homophobia”, in Gay Community News, volume 13, number 31, page 5:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| most irretrievably | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| more irretrievably | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |