Synonyms of impasses

impasses

noun

plural of impasse

1

as in halts

a point in a struggle where neither side is capable of winning or willing to give in

in their bitter custody battle, the divorcing couple are at a total impasse

Synonyms & Similar Words

• halts
• stalemates
• deadlocks
• logjams
• standstills
• jams
• predicaments
• gridlocks
• standoffs
• dilemmas
• problems
• quandaries
• bottlenecks
• Mexican standoffs
• holes
• quagmires
• plights
• pickles
• morasses
• difficulties
• dead ends
• fixes
• corners
• binds
• pinches
• spots

2

as in dilemmas

a difficult, puzzling, or embarrassing situation from which there is no easy escape

the impossible impasse faced by those who opposed the war but did not want to seem disloyal to the troops

Synonyms & Similar Words

• dilemmas
• predicaments
• pickles
• holes
• swamps
• difficulties
• jams
• binds
• corners
• quagmires
• mires
• crises
• fixes
• rabbit holes
• boxes
• spots
• kettles of fish
• jackpots
• rattraps
• plights
• sticky wickets
• quandaries
• troubles
• nodes
• stalemates
• deadlocks
• logjams
• soups
• standstills
• catch-22's
• straits
• emergencies
• crossroads
• hot waters
• exigencies
• scrapes
• pinches
• junctures
• halts
• clutches

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of impasses

The unsanctioned parades of cars decked out in Mexican flags have previously led to major traffic jams and impasses for emergency vehicles. — Allison Kiehl, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026

California law bars law enforcement officers and firefighters from striking against public employers, instead providing dispute-resolution procedures for labor impasses. — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 13 Aug. 2026

The second chapter intertwines misfortune and impasses. — Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 10 June 2026

The Senate unanimously approved a resolution to withhold lawmakers’ pay during government shutdowns, aiming to encourage faster resolution of federal budget impasses after record-breaking closures. — Joey Cappelletti, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026

How long should these impasses between words, ideas, formal breakthroughs last, anyway, in any one spell of writing? — Dan Chiasson, The New York Review of Books, 22 Apr. 2026

While controllers may not be caught in the latest political game of chicken, proactively protecting these federal employees from paycheck lapses would prevent additional airport chaos during future funding impasses. — Jackson Shedelbower, Oc Register, 11 Mar. 2026

Some of the money is frozen due to budgetary or legal impasses. — Caio Delcolli, IndieWire, 26 Nov. 2025

Such impasses typically end when one party decides the political costs of keeping the government closed outweigh the concessions of opening it. — Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 11 Nov. 2025