irresistible adjective - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com

Definition of irresistible adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

irresistible

adjective
 
/ˌɪrɪˈzɪstəbl/
 
/ˌɪrɪˈzɪstəbl/
jump to other results
  1. so strong that it cannot be stopped or resisted
    • I felt an irresistible urge to laugh.
    • His arguments were irresistible.
    • The temptation proved irresistible.
    opposite resistible
    Extra Examples
    • Public spending has a seemingly irresistible momentum.
    • He was forced to act by the irresistible pressure of public opinion.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs
    • be
    • prove
    • seem
    • …
    adverb
    • quite
    • utterly
    • almost
    • …
    preposition
    • to
    See full entry
  2. so attractive that you feel you must have it
    • an irresistible bargain
    • On such a hot day, the water was irresistible (= it made you want to swim in it).
    • irresistible to somebody The bright colours were irresistible to the baby.
    Extra Examples
    • The very high salary made the job irresistible.
    • You'll find our offer irresistible.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs
    • be
    • prove
    • seem
    • …
    adverb
    • quite
    • utterly
    • almost
    • …
    preposition
    • to
    See full entry
    3. Word Originlate 16th cent.: from medieval Latin irresistibilis, from in- ‘not’ + resistibilis (from resistere ‘resist’).
See irresistible in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
Check pronunciation: irresistible

Nearby words

loom
verb
 
 
From the Word list
Oxford 5000
C1
Oxford Learner's Dictionaries Word of the Day