impassable

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

/ ɪmˈpæs ə bəl, -ˈpɑ sə- /

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See synonyms for impassable on Thesaurus.com

adjective

not passable; not allowing passage over, through, along, etc.: Heavy snow made the roads impassable.

unable to be surmounted: an impassable obstacle to further negotiations.

(of currency) unable to be circulated: He tore the bill in half, making it impassable.

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Origin of impassable

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

OTHER WORDS FROM impassable

im·pass·a·bil·i·ty, im·pass·a·ble·ness, nounim·pass·a·bly, adverb

Words nearby impassable

impart, impartation, impartial, impartiality, impartible, impassable, impasse, impassible, impassion, impassionate, impassioned

How to use impassable in a sentence

Officials said customers could experience delays, and additional routes could be suspended if roads become impassable.
Icy storm glazes region, making roads a mess|Fredrick Kunkle|February 19, 2021|Washington Post
Unwisely, he took a shortcut and so missed the impassable Cabora Bassa cataracts blocking the river.
Dr. Livingstone, I Presume? The Victorian Explorer at 200|Tim Jeal|March 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Like a quietly heroic astronaut-to-be from Wapakoneta, Ohio, now gone, they have similar dreams that “nothing is impassable.”
Fire In Cairo: A View From the Arab Street|John Kael Weston|September 20, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Our beach path was impassable, we found another way on the back road.
Our Visit From Irene|India Hicks|August 27, 2011|DAILY BEAST

Many roads throughout Europe are impassable—Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are particularly stricken.
European Travel Breakdown|Clive Irving|December 20, 2010|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.
Congo's Feminist Fight|Linda Bird Francke|July 7, 2010|DAILY BEAST
The land that was desolate and impassable shall be glad, and the wilderness shall rejoice, and shall flourish like the lily.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
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.
Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia] [Volume 2 of 2]|Phillip Parker King
The direct road was quite impassable and we were compelled to get into the city through by-streets—not an easy task.
British Highways And Byways From A Motor Car|Thomas D. Murphy
At Naples, where I spent six days, I saw nothing, because in bad weather the town is impassable.
The Life & Letters of Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky|Modeste Tchaikovsky
He came back, with the report that new shells had made the way impassable; and again Sara Lee shivered.
The Amazing Interlude|Mary Roberts Rinehart

British Dictionary definitions for impassable

impassable

/ (ɪmˈpɑːsəbəl) /

adjective

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

Derived forms of impassable

impassability or impassableness, nounimpassably, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

impassable

Origin of impassable

OTHER WORDS FROM impassable

Words nearby impassable

Words related to impassable

How to use impassable in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for impassable

Derived forms of impassable