irretrievably

English

Etymology

From irretrievable +‎ -ly.

Pronunciation

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Adverb

irretrievably (comparative more irretrievably, superlative most irretrievably)

1. In an irretrievable manner; irrecoverably.
   • 1985, Robert Burchfield, The English Language, Oxford: Oxford University Press, page 17:

     Old English seems, and remains, irretrievably distant[.]

   • 1986 February 15, John Cronin, “More To It Than Homophobia”, in Gay Community News, volume 13, number 31, page 5:

     Such comments needlessly and irretrievably polarize the collective and its neighbors.

References

• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “irretrievably”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
• “irretrievably”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.