Incurable

/ɪnˈkjʊərəbəl/

adjectivemediumCommonGeneral

Definitions

1

Not able to be healed or corrected; permanent; used especially of diseases or conditions.

/ɪnˈkjʊərəbəl/

adjectivenegativemedium
General

Not able to be cured; irreversible.

The doctors confirmed the disease was incurable.

💡 Simply: Like a boo-boo that won't go away, no matter how much you try to fix it.

👶 For kids: Something that can't be made better or fixed, like a special tummy ache.

More Examples

2

Her optimism, despite all the setbacks, was truly incurable.

3

The patient was diagnosed with an incurable form of cancer.

How It's Used

Medical

"The patient was diagnosed with an incurable disease."

Figurative

"His optimism was incurable, no matter what happened."

From Latin *incurabilis* (not curable), from *in-* (not) + *curare* (to cure).

The term 'incurable' has been used in medical contexts for centuries to describe conditions that were beyond the reach of available treatments.

Memory tip

Imagine a disease that no amount of 'cure' can fix.

incuribleincurablee

Usage

30%Spoken
70%Written