impassable

American  

[im-pas-uh-buhl, -pah-suh-] / ɪmˈpæs ə bəl, -ˈpɑ sə- /

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.

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impassable British  

/ ɪmˈpɑːsəbəl /

adjective

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

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Other Word Forms

• impassability noun
• impassableness noun
• impassably adverb

Etymology

Origin of impassable

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

Example Sentences

“We’re contractors. If the roads are impassable ahead, how did you get here?”

From Literature

It was twenty miles from the bridge to Beaverville and that road could be as impassable as the road between the bridge and the campground.

From Literature

Rubaya sits on steep hillsides carved by deep ravines with dirt roads, often impassable during the rainy season, winding between unstable slopes.

From Barron's

Soon the chunks would grow and pile up and form one solid mass that would cover the bay for months, making it impassable for ships and shutting down the Port of Churchill for the season.

From Literature

She likens it to watching a burglar pile up your prized possessions on the other side of an impassable chasm.

From BBC

Related Words

• impenetrable
• insurmountable