impassable 1 of 2

adjective (1)

(ˌ)im-ˈpa-sə-bəl How to pronounce impassable (audio)
variants also impassible
Definition of impassablenext
as in dense
impossible to get through or into the road was impassable until snowplows cleared it

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

impassible

2 of 2

adjective (2)

(ˌ)im-ˈpa-sə-bəl How to pronounce impassible (audio)
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
Duneland schools remain closed due to outages throughout its buildings, numerous impassable roads and downed power lines throughout the community, according to the district website. — Carole Carlson, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2026 Through parts of the rainy season, Kio couldn’t be followed by the crew as the plains in the Maasai Mara became impassable. — Addie Morfoot, Variety, 12 Aug. 2026
Adjective
The strait carries roughly 20% of the world’s oil, and has remained largely impassible during the war. — Garrett Downs, CNBC, 16 Mar. 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for impassable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impassable
  1. dense
  2. close
  3. impervious
  4. impenetrable
  5. impermeable
  6. impregnable
  7. frozen
  8. thick
Adjective
  • Fires routinely sweep Kinshasa’s dense neighborhoods during the dry season, where rapid urban growth outpaces basic protections such as reliable fire and emergency services.
    — Saleh Mwanamilongo, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026
  • There comes a moment, looking at Evans’s dense worlds, when the eye stops decoding and the mind begins to surrender.
    — Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of dense
Adjective
  • California Cruise is even closer than expected, with deliveries slated to begin next year.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 30 Aug. 2026
  • The success of this trial was possible through the close and constructive cooperation between the participating German Air Force organisations, the exercise management team and the expert teams from Rheinmetall Air Defence and Hensoldt.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of close
Adjective
  • This brand makes impervious base layers with a chemical-free blend of nylon and lycra.
    — Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 13 Aug. 2026
  • To deal with the settling, Peters and his team developed flexible flooring lined with an impervious three-ply fabric.
    — Jennifer Tucker, The Conversation, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of impervious
Adjective
  • David Gordon Green directs the film, which follows two FBI agents investigating a seemingly impossible murder within the impenetrable walls of a maximum-security prison.
    — Angelique Jackson, Variety, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Child safety experts lauded the settlement and the accompanying pressure campaign as a giant leap forward in the effort to regulate an industry that until this year appeared all but impenetrable to reform, either from the courts or legislatures.
    — Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of impenetrable
Adjective
  • Playing the American League’s best team, the Padres had the final two games of the series in hand before the practically impermeable back end of their bullpen blew late leads.
    — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026
  • State officials estimated the costs at $4,100 per acre of paved or impermeable surface for those that decide to help fund local stormwater projects, and said the costs for other options could be considerably higher.
    — Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026
Definition of impermeable
Adjective
  • Dropped catches from Steve Smith, Green and Travis Head ensured yesterday's brief rally in the field fizzled out and allowed Bangladesh to bat itself into an almost impregnable position.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The shell of a good- sized adult abalone is more or less impregnable to most of the kelp forest’s predators, too strong and too thick for penetration.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 29 July 2026
Definition of impregnable
Adjective
  • Generally, in high-altitude environments such as mountain ranges, permafrost—basically, frozen soil—holds sediment and rocky material together.
    — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Egg freezing is a fertility-preservation procedure in which eggs are retrieved from the ovaries, frozen and stored for possible future use.
    — Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of frozen
Adjective
  • Mulch Leaves Regularly A thick layer of leaves can smother grass.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The day before, thick smoke blanketed Spain’s third-biggest city.
    — Chris Marshall-Bell, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of thick

Browse Nearby Words

impart (to)
impassable
impasse
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Impassable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impassable. Accessed 6 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All