impassable

[ im-pas-uh-buhl, -pah-suh- ]

adjective

1. not passable; not allowing passage over, through, along, etc.:

   Heavy snow made the roads impassable.

2. unable to be surmounted:

   an impassable obstacle to further negotiations.

3. (of currency) unable to be circulated:

   He tore the bill in half, making it impassable.

impassable

/ ɪmˈpɑːsəbəl /

adjective

1. (of terrain, roads, etc) not able to be travelled through or over

Derived Forms

• imˌpassaˈbility, noun
• imˈpassably, adverb

Other Words From

• im·passa·bili·ty im·passa·ble·ness noun
• im·passa·bly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of impassable¹

First recorded in 1560–70; im- ² + passable

Example Sentences

It was a technically demanding flight, traversing nearly 210 meters across rocky terrain largely impassable to the rover.

From Ars Technica

There were a couple of dirt roads in, too, but after the late-fall snowstorms, they became impassable.

From Outside Online

This is the kind of area that is accessible by foot and by off-road vehicle, but difficult or impassable for heavier armored vehicles, like MRAPs or Strykers.

From Popular-Science

Even with urban streets paved, for example, country roads remained an impassable mess, a problem that farmers were in no hurry to fix with their own tax dollars.

From Nautilus

The property itself was clean and quaint, but the road leading to the yurt was unpaved and nearly impassable in a rented convertible.

From Outside Online

Unwisely, he took a shortcut and so missed the impassable Cabora Bassa cataracts blocking the river.

From The Daily Beast

Like a quietly heroic astronaut-to-be from Wapakoneta, Ohio, now gone, they have similar dreams that “nothing is impassable.”

From The Daily Beast

Our beach path was impassable, we found another way on the back road.

From The Daily Beast

Many roads throughout Europe are impassable—Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are particularly stricken.

From The Daily Beast

The road from the Rwanda-Congo border to Bukavu—a war-torn city on the southeastern edge of Lake Kivu—was almost impassable.

From The Daily Beast

The land that was desolate and impassable shall be glad, and the wilderness shall rejoice, and shall flourish like the lily.

From Project Gutenberg

The channel between Bernier and Dorre is about a mile and a half wide, but is so blocked up by rocks as to be impassable.

From Project Gutenberg

The direct road was quite impassable and we were compelled to get into the city through by-streets—not an easy task.

From Project Gutenberg

At Naples, where I spent six days, I saw nothing, because in bad weather the town is impassable.

From Project Gutenberg

He came back, with the report that new shells had made the way impassable; and again Sara Lee shivered.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• impenetrable
• insurmountable