Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Impossible to pass, cross, or overcome.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Not passable; that cannot be passed, or passed over: as, an impassable road.
  • Synonyms Impervious, impenetrable, pathless.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Incapable of being passed; not admitting a passage.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective etc. Incapable of being passed over, crossed, or negotiated.
  • adjective of an obstacle Incapable of being overcome or surmounted.
  • adjective Not useable as legal tender.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective incapable of being passed

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From im- + pass + -able.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word impassable.

Examples

  • Apparently all the government has to do is invoke the term ‘State Secrets’ and the lawsuit hits in impassable brick wall.

    Balloon Juice » 2006 » May 2006

  • Well, on we go, -- driving across what you would call impassable streets, and lo! we are wedged up in a crowd, -- and such a crowd, -- a crowd of all nations.

    Young Americans Abroad Vacation in Europe: Travels in England, France, Holland, Belgium, Prussia and Switzerland Various

  • Leath said many people asked why the roads were referred to as impassable or treacherous instead of closed.

    The Times-Journal: News 2010

  • Leath said many people asked why the roads were referred to as impassable or treacherous instead of closed.

    The Times-Journal: News 2010

  • Leath said many people asked why the roads were referred to as impassable or treacherous instead of closed.

    The Times-Journal: News 2010

  • Leath said many people asked why the roads were referred to as impassable or treacherous instead of closed.

    The Times-Journal: News 2010

  • Dismissed in four paragraphs with no analysis of the so-called impassable barriers, while the Idaho/Montana route is extensive in the number of turnouts needing to be constructed, the number of small bridges needing crossed, and the extent of modifications needed to complete the route.

    20 blackbirds jhwygirl 2010

  • Leath said many people asked why the roads were referred to as impassable or treacherous instead of closed.

    The Times-Journal: News 2010

  • Dismissed in four paragraphs with no analysis of the so-called impassable barriers, while the Idaho/Montana route is extensive in the number of turnouts needing to be constructed, the number of small bridges needing crossed, and the extent of modifications needed to complete the route.

    20 blackbirds jhwygirl 2010

  • Leath said many people asked why the roads were referred to as impassable or treacherous instead of closed.

    The Times-Journal: News 2010

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.