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insurmountable

[ in-ser-moun-tuh-buhl ]
/ ˌɪn sərˈmaʊn tə bəl /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR insurmountable

adjective

incapable of being surmounted, passed over, or overcome; insuperable: an insurmountable obstacle.

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Origin of insurmountable

First recorded in 1690–1700; in-3 + surmountable

OTHER WORDS FROM insurmountable

in·sur·mount·a·bil·i·ty, in·sur·mount·a·ble·ness, nounin·sur·mount·a·bly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to insurmountable

invincible, unbeatable, impregnable, hopeless, overwhelming, impassable, inaccessible, indomitable, ineluctable, insuperable, unconquerable, forget it, no way, no-win

Example sentences from the Web for insurmountable

  • Neither of them connected any definite idea with the number; it merely meant the insurmountably great.

    Pelle the Conqueror, Complete|Martin Anderson Nexo

British Dictionary definitions for insurmountable

insurmountable
/ (ˌɪnsəˈmaʊntəbəl) /

adjective

incapable of being overcome; insuperable

Derived forms of insurmountable

insurmountability or insurmountableness, nouninsurmountably, 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