impossible

[ im-pos-uh-buhl ]

/ ɪmˈpɒs ə bəl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR impossible ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

not possible; unable to be, exist, happen, etc.

unable to be done, performed, effected, etc.: an impossible assignment.

incapable of being true, as a rumor.

not to be done, endured, etc., with any degree of reason or propriety: an impossible situation.

utterly impracticable: an impossible plan.

hopelessly unsuitable, difficult, or objectionable.

Nearby words

Origin of impossible

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English word from Latin word impossibilis. See im-², possible

SYNONYMS FOR impossible

6 unbearable, intolerable, unmanageable.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR impossible ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsim·pos·si·ble·ness, nounim·pos·si·bly, adverb

Can be confusedimpossible impracticable impractical improbable

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for impossible

Which is impossible unless people talk publicly rather than letting each crime be its own isolated incident.
Cover-Ups and Concern Trolls: Actually, It's About Ethics in Suicide Journalism|Arthur Chu|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But an ad-supported version of Desert Golfing was impossible.
Lost For Thousands of Strokes: 'Desert Golfing' Is 'Angry Birds' as Modern Art|Alec Kubas-Meyer|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
It is impossible to calculate the full effect that watching this on television, listening on the radio must have had on Sam.
How Martin Luther King Jr. Influenced Sam Cooke’s ‘A Change Is Gonna Come’|Peter Guralnick|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Memorable songs that are impossible to get out of your head?
The Top 10 Nontraditional Christmas TV Episodes|Jace Lacob|December 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST

It simultaneously reveals the absurdity of dictatorship and gives comfort to those languishing under an impossible reality.
The Sony Hack and America’s Craven Capitulation To Terror|David Keyes|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Very true it is that proof of the sort desired is often impossible; but it is obtained sometimes.
The Problems of Psychical Research|Hereward Carrington
It is impossible to place the ancient town of Tibet accurately.
The Gates of India|Thomas Holdich
The exigencies of the solar system may make it impossible for the sun to be always there, but it should be around when wanted.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 156, April 30, 1919|Various
She was so ill that it was impossible for them to consider in how far she was to blame for what had happened.
War and Peace|Leo Tolstoy
It is impossible to determine nicely where the land ends and the sea begins.
In the Heart of Vosges|Matilda Betham-Edwards

British Dictionary definitions for impossible

impossible

/ (ɪmˈpɒsəbəl) /

adjective

incapable of being done, undertaken, or experienced

incapable of occurring or happening

absurd or inconceivable; unreasonableit's impossible to think of him as a bishop

informal intolerable; outrageousthose children are impossible

Derived Formsimpossibleness, nounimpossibly, 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

Word Origin and History for impossible

impossible

adj.

late 14c., from Old French impossible, from Latin impossibilis "not possible," from assimilated form of in- "not, opposite of" (see in- (1)) + possibilis (see possible). Related: Impossibly.

impossible

adjective

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Nearby words

Origin of impossible

Examples from the Web for impossible

British Dictionary definitions for impossible

impossible

adjective

Word Origin and History for impossible

impossible