impossible
Americanadjective
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not possible; unable to be, exist, happen, etc.
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unable to be done, performed, effected, etc..
an impossible assignment.
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incapable of being true, as a rumor.
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not to be done, endured, etc., with any degree of reason or propriety.
an impossible situation.
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utterly impracticable.
an impossible plan.
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hopelessly unsuitable, difficult, or objectionable.
- Synonyms:
- unmanageable, intolerable, unbearable
adjective
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incapable of being done, undertaken, or experienced
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incapable of occurring or happening
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absurd or inconceivable; unreasonable
it's impossible to think of him as a bishop
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informal intolerable; outrageous
those children are impossible
Other Word Forms
- impossibleness noun
- impossibly adverb
Etymology
Origin of impossible
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English word from Latin word impossibilis. See im- 2, possible
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It is the name given to the day on which it becomes mathematically impossible for Tottenham Hotspur to finish above Arsenal in the Premier League.
From BBC
“It’s a bit depressing knowing it’s nearly impossible for me to buy my own place,” he said, “even though I’m so grateful.”
Details were unavailable overnight although on Friday the party leader said he was "not looking to do the impossible" and that money would be "tight".
From BBC
Kelly: I was trying to second guess your answer for this, but I think it's impossible.
From BBC
In a state that is “difficult or impossible to access without driving,” one plaintiff said losing his license will cost him his administrative associate job at the University of Kansas.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
