impossible

adjective

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im·pos·si·ble | \ (ˌ)im-ˈpä-sə-bəl

Definition of impossible

1a : incapable of being or of occurring

b : felt to be incapable of being done, attained, or fulfilled : insuperably difficult an impossible deadline

2a : extremely undesirable : unacceptable

b : extremely awkward or difficult to deal with the actor was impossible on the set

Other Words from impossible Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about impossible

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Examples of impossible in a Sentence

It's impossible to predict the future. The heavy rain made it impossible to see the road. It's physically impossible for a child to lift that much at once. It's virtually impossible to book a flight just before the holiday. These math problems are impossible! You refuse to help and then criticize me for not doing it right? You're impossible! My boss is just an impossible woman.

Recent Examples on the Web What’s more, the official task confronting the managers, to persuade sixty-seven out of a hundred senators to remove the President from office, was, as everyone had recognized from the start, all but impossible. — Robert P. Baird, The New Yorker, "The Prosecution of President Donald Trump," 7 Feb. 2020 Even then, getting to a 60-vote margin needed to overcome a filibuster is all but impossible in 2020. — Todd Spangler, Detroit Free Press, "How Democratic presidential candidates want to change your health care," 6 Feb. 2020 Sheltering and protecting the entire population of Attica, the region around Athens, would also be impossible. — National Geographic, "At the Battle of Marathon, Athens' underdog victory stunned Persia," 6 Feb. 2020 That aptitude revealed itself again Thursday, taking shape in Prokofiev that was the musical equivalent of a rolling tank, a steady, often blunt onslaught that was both difficult to take and impossible not to respect. — Zachary Lewis, cleveland, "Cleveland Orchestra proves its versatility on night of Prokofiev, Bridge, and Dukas," 31 Jan. 2020 Yet the discouraging reality is that current labor law makes it all but impossible for these workers to form or join unions at their jobs. — CNN, "Labor law makes it too hard to start unions. Workers deserve a bigger voice," 29 Jan. 2020 Flight operations in freezing fog, freezing drizzle and freezing rain are more difficult or impossible. — John Cox, USA TODAY, "Ask the Captain: What is ice fog? Is it dangerous for planes to fly through it?," 23 Jan. 2020 Without clean water, life on Earth will become difficult or impossible for mayflies and stoneflies, not to mention people. — Boris Kondratieff, The Conversation, "Stoneflies and mayflies, canaries of our streams," 22 Jan. 2020 In a group, different tastes or momentary preferences felt impossible to balance. — Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, "With a Phone, Are You Ever Really Somewhere?," 16 Jan. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'impossible.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.