impracticable

American  

[im-prak-ti-kuh-buhl] / ɪmˈpræk tɪ kə bəl /

adjective

1. not practicable; incapable of being put into practice with the available means.

   an impracticable plan.

2. unsuitable for practical use or purposes, as a device or material.

3. (of ground, places, etc.) impassable.

4. (of persons) hard to deal with because of stubbornness, stupidity, etc.

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impracticable British  

/ ɪmˈpræktɪkəbəl /

adjective

1. incapable of being put into practice or accomplished; not feasible

2. unsuitable for a desired use; unfit

3. an archaic word for intractable

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Other Word Forms

• impracticability noun
• impracticableness noun
• impracticably adverb

Etymology

Origin of impracticable

First recorded in 1645–55; im- ² + practicable

Example Sentences

It is hard to justify now, but back then it seemed impracticable to claw back our family’s time and tranquility.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 9, 2025

“It is impracticable to guard against all possible danger of people’s choosing their officers indiscreetly,” Iredell told the North Carolina convention in 1788.

From Slate • May 9, 2025

It states that “any modification must be made in accordance with the donor’s probable intention” and only if the restriction has become “unlawful, impracticable, impossible to achieve, or wasteful.”

From New York Times • May 21, 2024

Although it may seem impracticable, a renegotiation will look more appealing in the decades ahead of us, more so, I suspect, in the face of genuine hardship.

From Salon • Apr. 16, 2024

I meant to become her governess once more, but I soon found this impracticable; my time and cares were now required by another—my husband needed them all.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë