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

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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

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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 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
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
  • Slickwater uses a mix of water, sand, and thin, friction-reducing chemicals rather than thicker gels to shatter dense shale rock deep underground and free the gas.
    — Jordan Blum, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Tortoises routinely seek shade under dense bushes, vanish into mangroves, or shelter from the scorching equatorial sun.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of dense
Adjective
  • While her work regularly brings her into close proximity with children, Uta has little interest in starting a family of her own.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Microsoft was a close third with 6,258, according to the USCIS data hub.
    — Marshall Ritzel,Gabriel Cortés, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of close
Adjective
  • Over the summer, the Commanders’ coach, Dan Quinn, dreaming up ways to make his staff more impervious to pressure, enlisted the help of the intelligence establishment of the United States.
    — Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Josh Allen is elite, but the Bills aren’t impervious to problems — check out the Chargers game.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of impervious
Adjective
  • Medical bills are often impenetrable documents littered with complex codes and terminology, and sorting through charges and details about insurance coverage can feel intimidating, if not downright paralyzing.
    — Jennifer Schlinger, The Conversation, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The San Juans are among the most impenetrable mountains in the West.
    — Peter Hessler, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of impenetrable
Adjective
  • 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
  • Sign up for the newsletter When the rain does fall, Kabul’s hard, impermeable surfaces mean the water doesn’t replenish aquifers, but instead sweeps through the city as flash floods, destroying homes, killing people and rolling away.
    — Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 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
  • Supermarket owners described throwing out nearly a dumpster’s worth of frozen food.
    — Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 13 Oct. 2026
  • In comments shared on social media, many claimed her face appeared frozen and motionless, her expressions nonexistent.
    — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of frozen
Adjective
  • If sauce is thick, stir in water, a spoonful at a time, to loosen.
    — Shilpa Uskokovic, Bon Appetit Magazine, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Kitty-corner from the park is 16th Street Baptist Church, the city's first Black congregation, housed in a thick tan brick building of Romanesque-Byzantine design, which became a center for civil rights meetings.
    — Leslie Pariseau, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of thick

Browse Nearby Words

impart (to)
impassable
impasse
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Cite this Entry

“Impassable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impassable. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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