irreducible
adjective
ir·re·duc·ible
| \ ˌir-i-ˈdü-sə-bəl
, -ˈdyü-\
, -ˈdyü-\
Definition of irreducible
1
: impossible to transform into or restore to a desired or simpler condition
an irreducible matrix
specifically
: incapable of being factored into polynomials of lower degree with coefficients in some given field (such as the rational numbers) or integral domain (such as the integers)
an irreducible equation
2
: impossible to make less or smaller
an irreducible minimum
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Other Words from irreducible
irreducibility
\ ˌir-i-ˌdü-sə-ˈbi-lə-tē
, -ˌdyü- \
noun
, -ˌdyü- \
noun
irreducibly
\ ˌir-i-ˈdü-sə-blē
, -ˈdyü- \
adverb
, -ˈdyü- \
adverb
Examples of irreducible in a Sentence
They thought the world was made up of four irreducible elements: earth, air, fire, and water.
Recent Examples on the Web
No less than the higher electric rates and lower profits, these, too, are part of the irreducible costs of climate change. — Steven Pearlstein, Washington Post, "California wildfire plan shows how we can adapt to threat of natural disasters," 23 Aug. 2019 At some point taste, like talent, becomes an irreducible entity. — Hermione Hoby, The New Yorker, "What Does It Mean to Be a “Real” Writer?," 3 July 2019 Mathematicians would like to know how often irreducible polynomial equations occur. — Quanta Magazine, "In the Universe of Equations, Virtually All Are Prime," 10 Dec. 2018 The space-time discrepancy ultimately results in an irreducible level of noise in the position and momentum of particles, consistent with the uncertainty principle. — Quanta Magazine, "Physicists Eye Quantum-Gravity Interface," 31 Oct. 2013 That said, some scientists are waiting for an irreducible final theory. — Peter Byrne, Quanta Magazine, "Waiting for the Revolution," 24 May 2013 But some say that simply revealing the rules is insufficient, because formal criteria can never capture the irreducible moral and political decisions moderators make. — The Economist, "The unacknowledged legislators of the online world," 14 June 2019 The major hurdle is that time perception is complex, irreducible, and distributed across the brain and body. — Josh Wilbur, WIRED, "You Could Live Forever With This Sci-Fi Time Hack," 4 June 2019 Each brought a special joy, an irreducible quirk, a unique, surprising eccentricity. — Mark Oppenheimer, WSJ, "Yes, We Really Do Want to Have a Fifth Child," 24 Aug. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'irreducible.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for irreducible
irreducible
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of irreducible
formal
: not able to be made smaller or simpler
See the full definition for irreducible in the English Language Learners Dictionary
irreducible
adjective
ir·re·duc·ible
| \ ˌir-i-ˈd(y)ü-sə-bəl
\
\
Medical Definition of irreducible
: impossible to bring into a desired or normal state
an irreducible hernia
Other Words from irreducible
irreducibility
\ -ˌd(y)ü-sə-ˈbil-ət-ē
\
noun,
plural irreducibilities
\
noun,
plural irreducibilities
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