irresistible

See also: irrésistible

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

Borrowed from Medieval Latin irresistibilis, equivalent to ir- +‎ resistible.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˌɪɹ.ɪˈzɪs.tə.bəl/
  • Audio (Southern England):(file)

Adjective

irresistible (comparative more irresistible, superlative most irresistible)

  1. Impossible to resist.
    • 1963, Hannah Arendt, On Revolution, page 103:
      Where the breakdown of traditional authority set the poor of the earth on the march, where they left the obscurity of their misfortunes and streamed upon the market-place, their furor seemed as irresistible as the motion of the stars, a torrent rushing forward with elemental force and engulfing a whole world.
    • 2013 September 14, Jane Shilling, “The Golden Thread: the Story of Writing, by Ewan Clayton, review [print edition: Illuminating language]”, in The Daily Telegraph (Review)[1], page R29:
      Though his account of written communication over the past 5,000 years necessarily has a powerful forward momentum, his diversions down the fascinating byways of the subject are irresistible ...
  2. Compellingly attractive.

Derived terms

Translations

Asturian

Adjective

irresistible (epicene, plural irresistibles)

  1. irresistible

Antonyms

Catalan

Etymology

From ir- +‎ resistible.

Pronunciation

Adjective

irresistible m or f (masculine and feminine plural irresistibles)

  1. irresistible
    Antonym: resistible

Derived terms

Galician

Alternative forms

Adjective

irresistible m or f (plural irresistibles)

  1. irresistible
    Antonyms: resistible, resistíbel

Derived terms

Spanish

Etymology

From ir- +‎ resistible.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /iresisˈtible/ [i.re.sisˈt̪i.β̞le]
  • Rhymes: -ible
  • Syllabification: i‧rre‧sis‧ti‧ble

Adjective

irresistible m or f (masculine and feminine plural irresistibles)

  1. irresistible
    Antonym: resistible

Derived terms

Further reading