IMPASSABLE Synonyms: 38 Similar and Opposite Words

impassable

adjective

(ˌ)im-ˈpa-sə-bəl

variants also impassible

Definition of impassable

as in dense

impossible to get through or into the road was impassable until snowplows cleared it

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of impassable Some streets in Norfolk, Virginia, were closed Wednesday due to flooding and several are expected to be impassable during high tide Thursday, City Councilman Thomas Smigiel said in a social media post. — Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2026 The floating schools were a response to a longstanding local problem of seasonal floods and impassable, muddy roads that kept children from reaching conventional schools. — Ali Asif Shawon, NPR, 5 Sep. 2026 Many trees will fall, roads may become impassable and power and water could be unavailable for days or weeks. — Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026 Roads can become impassable, evacuation orders can change and homes or outdoor enclosures can be damaged, leaving pets vulnerable to injury or escape. — Melanie Marshall, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for impassable

Recent Examples of Synonyms for impassable

Adjective

Consider taking out a few roses in dense beds to make way for a steppingstone path through the blooms.

— Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Nov. 2026
The teams combined atomic-scale simulations with electron microscopy and experiments to see how changes in the two materials could help meet growing demand for denser data storage as AI use expands.

— Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 7 Nov. 2026

Definition of dense

Adjective

Hours after the attack, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said authorities found the bodies of three of the suspect's close family members -- two women and a man -- inside of his home in Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski, a city about 100 miles northeast of Krakow.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 8 Nov. 2026
Purdue cut the deficit to 34-29 on Ijeboi's TD run but couldn't get any closer.

— CBS News, CBS News, 8 Nov. 2026

Definition of close

Adjective

Waititi and co-screenwriter Dahvi Waller seem impervious to that refined sensibility, instead preferring to slather on the quirks, to stunningly charmless effect.

— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 20 Oct. 2026
As coastal areas become more developed, impervious surfaces—like roadways, parking lots, rooftops, and sidewalks—have increased.

— Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of impervious

Adjective

Kramer/Fauci is amazing, but there’s this downtown, opaque, dark stagecraft tradition that is impenetrable.

— Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2026
Since then, the president’s personnel and political decisions have reshaped the Senate battleground from what looked like an impenetrable red wall into a toss-up.

— Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of impenetrable

Adjective

Some layers, like sandstone, contain honeycombed pores capable of holding CO2, while others, like mudstone, can act as impermeable seals, trapping the buoyant gas underground.

— Katie Worth, ProPublica, 30 Oct. 2026
Charlotte has been blessed to grow at a fast rate, but our expansion has removed green spaces with impermeable pavement and buildings.

— Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of impermeable

Adjective

Democrats have secured control of the Senate, a shocking collapse for a Republican majority that started the midterms with what looked like an impregnable red wall of conservative states.

— Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 4 Nov. 2026
After the Spanish Navy built its arsenal and shipyards in Ferrol’s almost impregnable harbor in the 18th century, the city boomed.

— Jason Horowitz, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of impregnable

Adjective

Bump’s work is consistently interesting (his last book was 2023’s The New Naturals), and this one, a meditation on parental inheritance set in a frozen world, feels especially engaging.

— Jasmine Vojdani, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2026
Two shaggy ebony draft horses pulled a vintage sleigh along a powdery path that hugged the shores of frozen Lake Louise.

— Jen Murphy, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Nov. 2026

Definition of frozen

Adjective

And the oversized Heavenly robes are thick enough to justify padding down to the pool deck without feeling underdressed.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Nov. 2026
Five bedrooms and four bathrooms are spread throughout the tower, with colorful stripes bringing a playful contrast to the thick masonry walls.

— Tori Latham, Robb Report, 10 Nov. 2026

Definition of thick

Browse Nearby Words

impart (to)

impassable

impasse

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“Impassable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impassable. Accessed 11 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of impassable

adjective

Example Sentences

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