impervious

adjective

im·​per·​vi·​ous (ˌ)im-ˈpər-vē-əs 

1

a

: not allowing entrance or passage : impenetrable

a coat impervious to rain

b

: not capable of being damaged or harmed

a carpet impervious to rough treatment

2

: not capable of being affected or disturbed

impervious to criticism

imperviously adverb

imperviousness noun

Did you know?

The English language is far from impervious, and, of course, a great many Latinate terms have entered it throughout its history. Impervious is one of the many that broke through in the 17th century. It comes from the Latin impervius, which adds the prefix im- to pervius, meaning "passable" or "penetrable." Pervius—which is also the source of the relatively uncommon English word pervious, meaning "accessible" or "permeable"—comes from per-, meaning "through," and via, meaning "way."

Synonyms

• impenetrable
• impermeable
• tight

Examples of impervious in a Sentence

He looked at her, impervious to her tears … —Jean Stafford, Children Are Bored on Sunday, (1945) 1953

… the trunk … is encased in so hard a bark, as to be almost impervious to a bullet … —Herman Melville, Omoo, 1847

… Berlin struck me, above all, as impervious to any political reactions whatever … —Stephen Spender, New York Times Magazine, 30 Oct.1977

the material for this coat is supposed to be impervious to rain

the rain forest is impervious to all but the most dedicated explorers

Recent Examples on the Web

As the planet is increasingly swathed in concrete and other impervious materials, rainwater accumulates and flows rapidly into storm drains and leads to flooding and harm to our waterways. —Melissa Breyer, Treehugger, 5 July 2023

The Geffen Playhouse hasn’t been impervious to the financial shocks that have battered the field — a combination of declining post-pandemic attendance, rising costs and the withdrawal of emergency government funding. —Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 12 Sep. 2023

Finally, the notion that precious metals are impervious to failure is a myth. —Laxmi Corp, The Salt Lake Tribune, 11 Sep. 2023

The one realm of American life that has shown itself impervious to Trump’s assault on truth is the courts. —Time, 14 Aug. 2023

The two most prominent drivers in higher salt content in U.S. rivers came from population density and impervious surface percentage (think artificial surfaces, like roads or buildings). —Tim Newcomb, Popular Mechanics, 18 July 2023

The industry thus far has seemed impervious to inflation and economic slowing as consumers continue to use pandemic savings for travel. —Bloomberg Wire, Dallas News, 12 July 2023

The days of Bob Gibson snarling through the festivities, impervious to camaraderie with enemies turned teammates, are gone. —Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 10 July 2023

But the Justice Department’s scathing 89-page report looked well beyond that killing, describing a police force impervious to accountability whose officers beat, shot and detained people unjustly and patrolled without the trust of residents. —Dan Simmons, New York Times, 16 June 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Latin impervius, from in- + pervius pervious

First Known Use

1615, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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Kids Definition

impervious

adjective

im·​per·​vi·​ous (ˈ)im-ˈpər-vē-əs 

1

: not letting something enter or pass through

a coat impervious to rain

2

: not disturbed or upset

impervious to criticism

imperviousness noun

Medical Definition

impervious

adjective

im·​per·​vi·​ous (ˈ)im-ˈpər-vē-əs 

: not allowing entrance or passage

medication packaged in a container impervious to air and light

imperviousness noun