IMPASSIBILITY Synonyms: 128 Similar and Opposite Words

impassable 1 of 2

adjective (1)

(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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

impassible

2 of 2

adjective (2)

(ˌ)im-ˈpa-sə-bəl

as in stoic

not feeling or showing emotion years of living behind bars had rendered him impassible

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Adjective

The Strait carries roughly a fifth of the world’s oil, and remains largely impassable. — Garrett Downs, CNBC, 31 May 2026 Fire safety regulations have long required multifamily buildings to contain two or more staircases so that residents can exit their homes safely if one staircase is impassable because of smoke or other reasons. — Alex Schwartz, The Conversation, 29 May 2026

Adjective

On some of the country’s biggest lakes, often hundreds of miles wide with no current, an unfavorable wind made a waterway impassible. — Outside, 7 Feb. 2026 This front will bring heavy snow to areas downwind of the Great Lakes, which could severely impact travel until Saturday and make some roads impassible. — Gavon Laessig, NBC news, 27 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for impassable

Recent Examples of Synonyms for impassable

Adjective

If caught in dense blowing dust, pull off the road, turn off your lights and keep your foot off the brake.

— CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 10 July 2026
The 23 crew members fought through dense fog and dealt with equipment issues after leaving port on June 5.

— Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 10 July 2026

Definition of dense

Adjective

Even though talks with the Boston Red Sox at last year’s deadline never got close, the confusion provided by an incorrect tweet announcing Ryan’s trade to New England put the pitcher at the top of every trade list before the season even began.

— Dan Hayes, New York Times, 6 July 2026
Ashley Smith is the manager of player engagement for the NFL, and the siblings are close.

— Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 6 July 2026

Definition of close

Adjective

The problem is… their opponents will likely be France, a team that looks impervious.

— Carl Anka, New York Times, 4 July 2026
Overloading Your Washer Even the softest of towels are not impervious to improper laundering, and overloading your washer or using too little water can affect how thoroughly the towels are washed.

— Louise Parks, Martha Stewart, 30 June 2026

Definition of impervious

Adjective

In placing an increasingly expensive and impenetrable wall around Americans and their savings, banks have crucially and understandably developed a substantial amount of knowledge about their customers.

— John Tamny, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
The package depicts the usual impenetrable forest of the GAS packaging in stark, thorny monochrome.

— Daniel Bromfield, Pitchfork, 7 July 2026

Definition of impenetrable

Adjective

Chocolate brown stripes punctuate a light charcoal gray background, and the low-pile weave made from recycled polyester gives it an impermeable, easy-to-clean surface.

— Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 26 June 2026
Needing to remain impermeable to everything that is said about him is another stylistic exercise built into the equation of being a global star.

— TIME, Time, 26 June 2026

Definition of impermeable

Adjective

Playing on home soil in a venue that has become an almost impregnable fortress, El Tri will face England in the Round of 16 — in what is arguably the most important match in Mexican soccer history.

— Carlos Rodriguez, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
Alexander the Great conquered it in 332 BCE after building a causeway to what had been considered an impregnable island fortress.

— Jane Arraf, NPR, 23 June 2026

Definition of impregnable

Adjective

As Earth warms, an important source of methane is thawing permafrost, the permanently frozen ground found mostly in the Arctic.

— Vahe Peroomian, The Conversation, 13 July 2026
For the grand opening in Eagle the store offered sweet cream, chocolate, pistachio, strawberry, wild berry and frozen lemonade.

— Shannon Tyler, Idaho Statesman, 11 July 2026

Definition of frozen

Adjective

And that’s a lot of energy to shed as a vehicle comes blaring back into Earth’s thick atmosphere, a process that typically annihilates objects returning from space unless they are precisely designed to survive the trip.

— Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 16 July 2026
The water drew back from the house, left a thick, stinking silt across the floor.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 July 2026

Definition of thick

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impart (to)

impassable

impasse

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“Impassable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impassable. Accessed 18 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of impassable

adjective (1)

adjective (2)

Example Sentences

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