Meaning & use
irreparable harm
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountableformallegal
Damage that is so serious it cannot be repaired or made right.
Grammar: Uncountable; used with 'to' to show what is harmed: 'harm to the ecosystem'.
Patterns
- irreparable harm to something
- cause irreparable harm
- suffer irreparable harm
The oil spill caused irreparable harm to the coastline.
The court ruled that the company's actions would cause irreparable harm to the community.
Cutting down the rainforest does irreparable harm to the planet.
Common combinations
- cause irreparable harm
- The new law could cause irreparable harm to small businesses.
- irreparable harm to
- The scandal did irreparable harm to his reputation.
- suffer irreparable harm
- Without immediate action, the species will suffer irreparable harm.
- risk irreparable harm
- We cannot risk irreparable harm to the environment.
Synonyms and how they differ
- irreversible damage
- Very similar, but 'irreversible' emphasizes that the change cannot be undone, while 'irreparable' emphasizes that it cannot be repaired.
- permanent damage
- Permanent damage lasts forever but might not be as severe as irreparable harm.
Opposites
Word family
- irreparable adjective
- Too serious to be repaired or fixed.
- irreparably adverb
- In a way that cannot be repaired.
Commonly confused: irreparable harm or irreparable? irreparable harm or irreverent?
irreparable harm vs irreparable
The adjective means 'cannot be repaired'; 'irreparable harm' is the noun phrase for the damage itself.
irreparable harm vs irreverent
Irreverent means showing a lack of respect; it sounds similar but has a completely different meaning.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence.
Choose one answer.
'Irreparable harm' is uncountable, so no 'an'. The preposition is 'to', not 'on' or 'for'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “irreparable harm”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.