impossibility
Americannoun
-
the state or quality of being impossible
-
something that is impossible
Etymology
Origin of impossibility
1350–1400; Middle English impossibilite < Late Latin impossibilitās. See im- 2, possibility
Explanation
An impossibility is something that can never, ever happen. Eating ice cream without getting a stomach ache afterward is an impossibility for people who are lactose intolerant. You might start to suspect the impossibility of finding an affordable apartment in New York once you start looking for one, or fear the impossibility that you'll ever pass your French class if you struggle with conjugating verbs. When something's impossible, it can't happen or exist, and an impossibility is impossible. Both words come from the Latin impossibilis, "not possible," from the roots im-, "not," and possibilis, "that can be done."
Vocabulary lists containing impossibility
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Impossibility: 4 Super fun scale: 4 Best karaoke lines: “Betta be street if he lookin’ at me / I need a soldier / That ain’t scared to stand up for me”
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 29, 2023
Impossibility: 4 Super fun scale: 8 Best karaoke lines: “Got me looking so crazy, my baby / I’m not myself, lately I’m foolish, I don’t do this”
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 29, 2023
Think of it as an extension of Masnick’s Impossibility Theorem, which holds that good content moderation at scale is impossible.
From The Verge • Aug. 5, 2022
FT reporter Hannah Murphy later tweeted that Bosworth was citing Masnick’s Impossibility Theorem: a maxim, coined by Techdirt founder Mike Masnick, that says “content moderation at scale is impossible to do well.”
From The Verge • Nov. 12, 2021
The Impossibility of Long-continued Profits in the Case of Primitive Carriers.—With the growth of traffic direct competition will soon appear.
From Essentials of Economic Theory As Applied to Modern Problems of Industry and Public Policy by Clark, John Bates
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
