impassable

adjective

im·​pass·​able (ˌ)im-ˈpa-sə-bəl 

variants or less commonly impassible

: incapable of being passed, traveled, crossed, or surmounted

impassability

(ˌ)im-ˌpa-sə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

impassableness

(ˌ)im-ˈpa-sə-bəl-nəs 

noun

impassably

(ˌ)im-ˈpa-sə-blē 

adverb

Synonyms of impassable

• dense
• close
• impervious
• impenetrable
• impermeable
• impregnable
• frozen
• thick

Examples of impassable in a Sentence

The roads were made impassable by the flood.

the road was impassable until snowplows cleared it

Recent Examples on the Web

State highways and county roads also became impassable, with government agencies issuing multiple no travel advisories amid blizzard warnings. —Angela George, Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 26 Mar. 2026

Although parked legally, the cars made the route impassable for school buses, plow trucks, fire trucks or ambulances. —Laura Bauer, Kansas City Star, 26 Mar. 2026

The conduit in the Gulf could remain impassable until May, economists with Oxford Economics estimated. —Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 26 Mar. 2026

Successive punches of snow and wind were impacting the eastern half of the United States on Monday as severe weather swept across much of the nation, making roads impassable in the Upper Midwest and canceling more than 2,000 flights nationwide. —ABC News, 16 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1562, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for impassable

• passable
• impassible
• irascible
• unsurpassable

Kids Definition

impassable

adjective

im·​pass·​able (ˈ)im-ˈpas-ə-bəl 

: impossible to pass, cross, or travel over

roads made impassable by the hurricane

impassability

(ˌ)im-ˌpas-ə-ˈbil-ət-ē 

noun