irresistible

I1R1R1E1S1I1S1T1I1B3L1E1
/ˌɪɹ.ɪˈzɪs.tə.bəl/

adjective

Impossible to resist.

Opposite
Less commonScrabble 14

Meanings

adjectiveirresistible (comparative more irresistible, superlative most irresistible)

comparative more irresistible · superlative most irresistible · alternative dated irresistable

  1. Impossible to resist.

    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: at what point did handwriting begin to express individual personality?

    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), archived from the original on 23 Nov 2013, page R29
    1 more example

    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.

    1963, Hannah Arendt, On Revolution, page 103
  2. Compellingly attractive.

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveimpossible to resist; overpowering

Opposite

adjectiveoverpoweringly attractive

Similar

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*né
  2. Proto-Indo-European*n̥-
  3. Proto-Italic*n̥-
  4. Latinin-
  5. Proto-Italic*wre-
  6. Latinre-
  7. Proto-Indo-European*steh₂-
  8. Proto-Indo-European*stísteh₂ti
  9. Proto-Italic*sistō
  10. Latinsistō
  11. Latinresisto
  12. Latinirresistibili
  13. Englishirresistible

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

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek ἀνυπόστατος
  • ἀνυπόστατος (anupóstatos)not able to be resisted
Bulgarian неотразим, неудържим
  • неотразим (neotrazim)not able to be resisted
  • неудържим (neudăržim)not able to be resisted
Catalan irresistible
  • irresistiblenot able to be resisted
Chinese Mandarin 不可抗拒
  • 不可抗拒 (bùkěkàngjù)not able to be resisted
Czech neodolatelný
  • neodolatelnýnot able to be resisted
Danish uimodståelig
  • uimodståelignot able to be resisted
Dutch onweerstaanbaar
  • onweerstaanbaarnot able to be resisted
Esperanto nerezistebla
  • nerezisteblanot able to be resisted
Finnish vastustamaton
  • vastustamatonnot able to be resisted
French irrésistible
  • irrésistiblenot able to be resisted
German unwiderstehlich
  • unwiderstehlichnot able to be resisted
Greek ακαταμάχητος
  • ακαταμάχητος (akatamáchitos)not able to be resisted
Hungarian ellenállhatatlan
  • ellenállhatatlannot able to be resisted
Italian irresistibile
  • irresistibilenot able to be resisted
Japanese 逆らえない, 抗えない
  • 逆らえない (sakaraenai)not able to be resisted
  • 抗えない (aragaenai)not able to be resisted
Māori mōtohe
  • mōtohenot able to be resisted
Norwegian Bokmål uimotståelig
  • uimotståelignot able to be resisted
Polish nieodparty
  • nieodpartynot able to be resisted
Portuguese irresistível
  • irresistívelnot able to be resisted
Romanian irezistibil
  • irezistibilnot able to be resisted
Russian неотрази́мый
  • неотрази́мый (neotrazímyj)not able to be resisted
Spanish irresistible
  • irresistiblenot able to be resisted
Swedish oemotståndlig
  • oemotståndlignot able to be resisted
Vietnamese không thể cưỡng lại
  • không thể cưỡng lạinot able to be resisted
Cite this entry
APA

irresistible. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/irresistible

MLA

“irresistible.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/irresistible. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “irresistible,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/irresistible.

Source: irresistible on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.