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

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

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

By this point, the road behind him was impassable, too. —Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 11 July 2025

By that point, according to survivor accounts, many evacuation routes had been impassable for hours. —Zeynep Tufekci, Mercury News, 10 July 2025

Low-water crossings are inundated with water and may be impassable. —Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 July 2025

Although first responders have faced challenges such as heat, snakes and impassable roads due to flooding and debris, debris removal was still underway and improving, officials said Sunday. —Chandelis Duster, NPR, 6 July 2025

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