Meanings
comparative more irrepressible · superlative most irrepressible
- not comparableusuallyNot containable or controllable.
[...] here the two friends burst into a variety of giggles, and glanced from time to time, over the tops of their pocket-handkerchiefs, at Nicholas, who from a state of unmixed astonishment, gradually fell into one of irrepressible laughter [...]
1858, Charles Dickens, chapter 15, in Nicholas Nickleby - not comparableusuallyEspecially high-spirited, outspoken, or insistent.
The irrepressible landlady gave the freest expression to her feelings.
1875, Wilkie Collins, chapter 3, in The Law and the Lady4 more examples
Schomberg, [...] an irrepressible retailer of all the scandalous gossip of the place, would, with both elbows on the table, impart an adorned version of the story to any guest who cared to imbibe knowledge along with the more costly liquors.
1899 September – 1900 July, Joseph Conrad, chapter XIX, in Lord Jim: A Tale, Edinburgh; London: William Blackwood and Sons, published 1900, →OCLC, page 210"The irrepressible Yank is knocking at the doors of their temples and he will want to sell 'em carpet-sweepers for their harems."
1901, Frank Norris, The Octopus, Book II, ConclusionIt was Paris' irrepressible High Fashion Doyenne Gabrielle ("Coco") Chanel, 80, so-soing this and high-hatting that, while Women's Wear Daily took notes.
1963 July 12, “People”, in TimeHigh-strung and irrepressible, George Jefferson quickly became one of America’s most popular television characters, a high-energy, combative black man who backed down to no one.
2012 July 24, Mel Watkins, “Sherman Hemsley, ‘Jeffersons’ Star, Is Dead at 74”, in New York Times, retrieved 16 Jun 2013
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveimpossible to repress or control
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*né
- Proto-Indo-European*n̥-
- Proto-Italic*n̥-
- Latinin-
- Middle Englishin-
- Englishir-
- Proto-Italic*wre-
- Latinre-
- Old Frenchre-
- Middle Englishre-
- Englishre-
- Englishpress
- Englishrepress
- Englishrepressible
- Englishirrepressible
From ir- + repressible.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian неудържим, неукротим
- неудържим (neudăržim)not containable or controllable
- неукротим (neukrotim)not containable or controllable
Catalan irreprimible
- irreprimiblenot containable or controllable
Chinese Mandarin 忍不住的, 控制不住的
- 忍不住的 (rěn bù zhù de)not containable or controllable
- 控制不住的 (kòngzhì bù zhù de)not containable or controllable
Dutch onbedwingbaar, onstuitbaar
- onbedwingbaarnot containable or controllable
- onstuitbaarnot containable or controllable
French irrépressible
- irrépressiblenot containable or controllable
Hungarian elfojthatatlan
- elfojthatatlannot containable or controllable
Irish dochloíte
- dochloítenot containable or controllable
Italian insopprimibile
- insopprimibilenot containable or controllable
Polish niepowstrzymany, niepohamowany
- niepowstrzymanynot containable or controllable
- niepohamowanynot containable or controllable
Portuguese irreprimível
- irreprimívelnot containable or controllable
Russian неудержи́мый, неукроти́мый
- неудержи́мый (neuderžímyj)not containable or controllable
- неукроти́мый (neukrotímyj)not containable or controllable
- неуёмный (neujómnyj)not containable or controllable
Spanish irreprimible, irrefrenable
- irreprimiblenot containable or controllable
- irrefrenablenot containable or controllable
Ukrainian нестри́мний, невгамо́вний
- нестри́мний (nestrýmnyj)not containable or controllable
- невгамо́вний (nevhamóvnyj)not containable or controllable
- непогамо́вний (nepohamóvnyj)not containable or controllable
Cite this entry
irrepressible. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/irrepressible
“irrepressible.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/irrepressible. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “irrepressible,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/irrepressible.
Source: irrepressible on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.