insuperable

American  

[in-soo-per-uh-buhl] / ɪnˈsu pər ə bəl /

adjective

1. incapable of being passed over, overcome, or surmounted.

   an insuperable barrier.

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insuperable British  

/ -prəbəl, -ˈsjuː-, ɪnˈsuːpərəbəl /

adjective

1. incapable of being overcome; insurmountable

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Other Word Forms

• insuperability noun
• insuperableness noun
• insuperably adverb

Etymology

Origin of insuperable

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English word from Latin word insuperābilis. See in- ³, superable

Explanation

Perhaps if you are a superhero, you can tackle an insuperable problem — one that is considered impossible to overcome. Insuperable is an adjective that is often paired with nouns like difficulty, obstacle, and barrier. An insuperable difficulty is not just difficult; it’s impossible. And an insuperable obstacle is not like a hurdle on a running track that slows you down a little; it stops you entirely. The opposite of insuperable is, of course, superable, though it’s less commonly used than its negative counterpart.

Example Sentences

Here and elsewhere, scale is a messaging device, speaking of the Roman imperium’s insuperable need to seize and control large swaths of space.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 22, 2025

That the songs don’t match the story structurally is probably an insuperable problem.

From New York Times • Jul. 27, 2023

This is an insuperable problem, and I spent the entire series trying to understand how things went so wrong.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 23, 2021

Such temporal shifts suggest that Mundy’s heroes actually exist and that, despite seemingly insuperable odds, they will still be alive when the book ends.

From Washington Post • Apr. 7, 2020

But the obstacles facing them were many, almost insuperable: they had no rackets, no balls, no decent tennis courts, no shoes.

From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane