English dictionary — definitions & meanings

irreparable

adj

So badly damaged or harmed that it cannot be fixed or made right again.

irrepentance

noun

Lack of repentance; impenitence.

irreplaceable

adj

So unique or valuable that nothing could take its place if lost.

irreprehensible

adj

not reprehensible, blameless, without blame; innocent

irrepressible

adj

Not containable or controllable.

irresistible

adjective

So strong or powerful that it cannot be resisted or stopped.

irresoluble

adj

Difficult if not impossible to resolve; irresolvable.

irresolute

adj

Undecided or unsure how to act.

irresolution

noun

Lack of resolution; lack of decision or purpose; vacillation.

irresolvability

noun

the quality of being irresolvable

irresolvable

adj

Impossible to resolve; insoluble.

irrespective

adjective

Not taking something into account; regardless of it.

irrespirable

adj

Not respirable; not suitable for breathing; unbreathable.

irresponsibility

noun

Behaviour that shows a lack of care about the consequences of one's actions.

irresponsible

adjective

Not showing proper care or thought about the consequences of one's actions.

irresponsibly

adv

In an irresponsible manner; so as to be irresponsible.

irreverence

noun

The state or quality of being irreverent; want of proper reverence; disregard of the authority and character of a superior.

irreverent

adj

Lacking respect; not having or not showing respect for or seriousness towards something that is usually treated with respect; going against conventional precepts.

irreversibility

noun

The quality of being irreversible; the lack of an ability to be reversed.

irreversible

adjective

Impossible to change back to how it was before; permanent.

irreversibly

adv

In an irreversible manner.

irrevocable

adjective

Impossible to take back, cancel, or change once it has been made.

irrevocably

adverb

In a way that cannot be changed back or undone.

irrigate

verb

To supply land with water using channels, pipes, or sprinklers so crops can grow.

irrigation

noun

The supplying of water to land, usually through channels or pipes, so that crops can grow.

irrigator

noun

One who, or that which, irrigates.

irritability

noun

A tendency to become annoyed or angry easily.

irritable

adjective

Easily annoyed or made angry; short-tempered.

irritant

adj

Causing irritation or inflammation.

irritate

verb

To annoy or make someone impatient or angry.

irritated

adjective

Feeling annoyed or impatient.

irritating

adjective

Causing annoyance or mild anger.

irritation

noun

A feeling of annoyance or slight anger.

irritative

adj

serving to excite or irritate

irrupt

verb

To break into.

irruption

noun

The action of irrupting or breaking into; a violent entry or invasion; an inbreaking; an intrusion.

irt

noun

The subway lines, collectively, formerly run by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company.

iru

noun

A pungent West African seasoning made by fermenting locust beans, used to add savoury depth to soups and stews.

Irvin

name

A surname, and also a male first name, related to Irvine and Irving.

Irvine

name

A surname of Scottish Gaelic origin, taken from a place name in Scotland.

Irving

name

A surname of Scottish Gaelic origin, a variant of Irvine.

Irwin

name

A Scottish or Irish surname, originally used to identify someone as a descendant of a person named Irwin.

is

verb

The third-person singular present form of the verb be, used with he, she, it or any singular noun to link a subject to a description, identity, state or location.

Isa

name

A short form of the female name Isabel or its variants.

Isaac

name

In the Bible, the son of Abraham and Sarah, and father of Esau and Jacob.

isaacks

name

A surname transferred from the given name.

Isaacs

name

A surname meaning "son of Isaac."

Isabel

name

A female given name from Hebrew, related to Elizabeth.

Isabela

name

A female given name from Spanish, a variant of Isabel.

Isabella

name

A female given name from Hebrew, the Latinate/Italian form of Isabel.

Isabelle

name

A female given name from French, ultimately a variant of Elizabeth.

Isadora

name

A female given name from Ancient Greek, a variant of Isidora.

isagoge

noun

An introduction, especially (particularly capitalized) Porphyry's introduction to the works of Aristotle.

Isaiah

name

A book of the Old Testament, and the Hebrew prophet traditionally credited as its author.

Iscariot

name

The surname of Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Jesus in the New Testament.

ischemia

noun

Local disturbance in blood circulation due to mechanical obstruction of the blood supply (for example, embolism, thrombosis, or vasoconstriction).

ischium

noun

The lowest of the three bones that make up each side of the pelvis.

Ise

name

A city in Mie Prefecture, Japan, known for its famous Shinto shrine.

iseult

name

A female given name from the Germanic languages.

ish

adverb

(informal) Somewhat, roughly, or approximately.

isha

noun

The final of the five daily Islamic prayers, performed at night.

Ishaan

name

A male given name from Sanskrit, of Indian origin, referring to a Hindu deity associated with the northeast direction.

Ishida

name

A Japanese surname.

Ishihara

name

A Japanese surname.

Ishii

name

A Japanese surname.

Ishikawa

name

A prefecture in the north-central region of Japan.

Ishmael

name

In the Bible, the eldest son of Abraham, traditionally regarded as an ancestor of the Arab peoples.

ishmaelite

noun

Any descendant of Ishmael.

Ishtar

name

An ancient Mesopotamian goddess of love, fertility, and war, associated with the planet Venus.

isidora

name

A female given name from Ancient Greek; rare in the Anglo-Saxon world.

isinglass

noun

A form of gelatine obtained from the air bladder of the sturgeon and certain other fish, used as an adhesive and as a clarifying agent for wine and beer.

Isis

name

An ancient Egyptian goddess of motherhood, magic, and fertility, worshipped as the wife of Osiris and mother of Horus.

iskandar

name

A male given name from Arabic [in turn from Ancient Greek], variant of Alexander; variant forms Askandar, Askander, Eskandar, Eskender, Eskinder, Iskander, Iskinder, Scandar, Scander, Sikandar, Sikander, Skandar, Skander.

Isla

name

A female given name, popularised from the name of the Scottish island Islay.

Islam

name

A monotheistic religion founded on the teachings of the prophet Muhammad and the Quran, followed by Muslims worldwide.

Islamabad

name

The capital city of Pakistan, a planned city built in the 1960s to replace Karachi as the seat of government.

islamdom

name

The regions of the world, taken as a whole, where Islam is the predominant religion.

Islamic

adj

Relating to or characteristic of Islam, its followers, or its culture.

Islamist

noun

Someone who supports applying Islamic religious principles to law and government, often in a strict or political way.

island

noun

A piece of land completely surrounded by water.

islay

name

The southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides in Argyll and Bute council area, Scotland.

isle

noun

An island, especially a small one — often used in place names or poetic language.

islet

noun

A small island.

ism

noun

A distinctive belief system, doctrine or movement, especially one treated as rigid or fashionable; usually used dismissively and often in the plural.

Ismail

name

The Arabic form of the biblical name Ishmael, Abraham's eldest son, regarded in Islamic tradition as an ancestor of the Arab peoples and a prophet.

ISO

noun

A file that contains an exact copy of everything on a disc, such as a CD or DVD, used to store or share software.

Isobel

name

A female given name, a Scottish variant of Isabel.

isochronous

adj

Happening at regular intervals; isochronal.

isograph

noun

A line indicating the geographical boundaries within which a particular feature of a written script is used.

isolate

verb

To separate someone or something from others.

isolated

adj

Set apart from others; remote or alone.

isolating

adj

Making someone feel cut off or alone.

isolation

noun

The state of being separated or apart from others.

isolationist

adj

Relating to, or supporting, isolationism.

Isolde

name

A female given name, best known from the medieval legend of Tristan and Isolde.

isometric

adj

Of or exhibiting equality in dimensions.

isotonic

adjective

Of a solution, having the same concentration of dissolved particles as the fluid it is compared with, usually blood or the inside of a cell, so that water does not move across the cell membrane in either direction.

isotope

noun

One of two or more versions of a chemical element that have the same number of protons but a different number of neutrons.

isotropy

noun

The property of being identical, or having the same physical properties, in all directions.

Israel

name

A country in the Middle East on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea, established as a modern state in 1948.

Israeli

noun

A person from Israel or of Israeli citizenship.

israelite

noun

A native or inhabitant of

Issa

name

A given name and surname of Arabic origin.

issuance

noun

The act of issuing, or giving out.

issue

noun

A subject or problem that people discuss or disagree about.

issuer

noun

One who issues, emits, or publishes.

issuing

noun

The act of officially giving out, publishing, or releasing something.

ist

noun

Informal term for a person who follows or believes in a particular "-ism."

Istanbul

name

Turkey's largest city, straddling both Europe and Asia, and the former capital of the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires.

ISTG

abbreviation

I swear to God; used in messages to stress that something is true or to signal exasperation.

isthmus

noun

A narrow strip of land, bordered on both sides by water, and connecting two larger landmasses.

istria

name

A peninsula in Croatia, Slovenia and Italy, on the northeastern coast of the Adriatic Sea: The Istrian Peninsula.

it

pron

Used to refer to a thing, animal, or abstract idea that has already been mentioned or is understood.

it is what it is

phrase

Said to accept an unwelcome situation that cannot be changed, signalling that there is no point complaining about it further.

ita

noun

The moriche palm (Mauritia flexuosa), a tall palm tree native to wetlands around the Orinoco River in South America.

Italia

name

The Italian name for Italy, sometimes used in English as a stylistic or poetic alternative.

Italian

adj

Relating to Italy, its people, culture, or language.

Italiano

name

A surname of Italian origin, meaning literally "Italian."

italish

adj

Pertaining to Italy, its people, or language; Italian.

Italy

name

A country in Southern Europe shaped like a boot, known for its history, art, and cuisine. Capital: Rome.

itch

noun

An uncomfortable feeling on the skin that makes you want to scratch.

itchiness

noun

The state of being itchy.

itching

noun

A skin sensation that makes you want to scratch.

itchy

adj

Causing or feeling an urge to scratch.

item

noun

A single thing, especially one on a list or among a group of things.

itemization

noun

The act of making a list of items; an itemizing.

itemize

verb

To state in items, or by particulars

iterate

verb

To perform or repeat an action on each item in a set.

iteration

noun

A recital or a second performance; a repetition.

ith

adjective

Used after a number to form an ordinal, standing in for a variable position in a sequence (as in "the ith term").

Ithaca

name

A Greek island in the Ionian Sea, legendary home of Odysseus in Homer's epics.

ithyphallic

adj

Of or pertaining to the erect phallus that was carried in bacchic processions.

itinerance

noun

The (often chaotic) movement of electrons through a material

itinerancy

noun

The state or quality of being itinerant.

itinerant

adj

Travelling from place to place regularly, especially for work.

itinerarium

noun

An Ancient Roman road map in the form of a listing of cities, villages and other stops, with the intervening distances.

itinerary

noun

A planned schedule or route for a trip.

itinerate

verb

To travel from place to place, especially to preach or lecture.

itis

noun

Informal term for any condition marked by inflammation, taken loosely from medical terms like "arthritis" or "tonsillitis."

Ito

name

A Japanese surname, one of the most common in Japan.

its

det

Belonging to it.

itself

pron

Used to refer back to a thing that is both the subject and the object of the same action.

itsy

adj

Extremely small (usually said playfully, as in "itsy bitsy").

itzhak

name

A male given name from Hebrew, variant of Isaac.

IV

noun

A drip: the tube, bag and needle used to deliver fluids, medication, blood or nutrients directly into a vein, or the treatment itself.

iva

name

A female given name of Slavic origin, recorded in the United States since 1900.

Ivan

name

A male given name of Slavic origin, the Slavic equivalent of "John."

Ivana

name

A female given name of Slavic origin, the feminine form of Ivan.

Ivanhoe

name

A historical novel by Sir Walter Scott, and the name of its knightly hero.

Ivanov

name

A common Russian and Bulgarian surname, meaning roughly "son of Ivan."