Irresistible

How to spell irresistible

12 letters · 5 syllables

How to pronounce irresistible

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does irresistible mean?

1. adjectiveSo strong, attractive, or tempting that it cannot be resisted or opposed.

Irresistible in a sentence

• The bakery filled the street with an irresistible smell of fresh bread.

• The discount made the offer almost irresistible to weekend shoppers.

Where does irresistible come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb resistere, meaning 'to stand back against' or 'to withstand', which was built from the prefix re- ('back' or 'against') and sistere ('to take a stand' or 'to stand firm'). To this the Latin negative prefix in- was added (assimilating to ir- before the r), producing the Late Latin irresistibilis, literally 'that which cannot be stood against'. English took the word in during the sixteenth century, partly through French, to describe forces or temptations too strong to oppose. The same sistere root sits inside relatives such as 'persist', 'insist', and 'consist', all sharing the idea of standing. The spelling trap lives in two places: the doubled r created by the assimilated prefix, and the Latin-derived -ible ending, which catches writers who instinctively reach for the more common -able.

How the word is built

• ir- (in-, not)
• re- (back, against)
• sist (from Latin sistere: to stand)
• -ible (able to be)