1
as in dense
impossible to get through or into
the ancient temple was surrounded by vast stretches of impenetrable jungle
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in mysterious
being beyond one's powers to know, understand, or explain
the mysteries of that religion are completely impenetrable to outsiders
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3
as in incomprehensible
impossible to understand
the textbook's language is completely impenetrable, at least to me
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4
as in tight
not allowing penetration (as by gas, liquid, or light)
the container of toxic waste has an impenetrable seal to prevent leaks
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of impenetrable
Beyond that, however, pollen’s seemingly impenetrable shell—made up of the biopolymer sporopollenin—had long stumped researchers and limited its use.
—
Sandy Ong, JSTOR Daily, 11 Sep. 2025
With time, trees even grew in the impenetrable ditch.
—Steven Franck, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Sep. 2025
After that, Alcaraz brought the hammer down with his otherwise impenetrable delivery, which was broken only three times across the tournament.
—Tim Ellis, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
This is all meant to be impenetrable to outsiders, which is one reason for the confusion that follows shootings such as the one in Minneapolis.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for impenetrable
Sandy Ong, JSTOR Daily, 11 Sep. 2025
With time, trees even grew in the impenetrable ditch.
—Steven Franck, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Sep. 2025
After that, Alcaraz brought the hammer down with his otherwise impenetrable delivery, which was broken only three times across the tournament.
—Tim Ellis, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
This is all meant to be impenetrable to outsiders, which is one reason for the confusion that follows shootings such as the one in Minneapolis.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for impenetrable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impenetrable
Adjective
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Try sprouted seeds lightly roasted with a sprinkle of sea salt for a nutrient-dense, crunchy snack.—
Jillian Kubala,
Health,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Hacking a path through dense jungle with a machete.—
Kit Bernardi,
USA Today,
14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Gehman, then a graduate student earning a doctorate in disease ecology, had heard about a mysterious illness sweeping through the Pacific coast’s iconic invertebrates.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
17 Oct. 2025
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Since its discovery in 2009, scientists have made little headway in understanding the mysterious origins of these excess gamma rays.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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In the face of that, Keaton’s off- and sometimes on-duty style represented limitless possibilities, and a previously incomprehensible kind of freedom.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
12 Oct. 2025
-
And the thought of McDavid leaving Edmonton under any condition once felt incomprehensible.—
Eric Stephens,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski’s excellent performance from the mound – striking out nine, a Milwaukee rookie postseason record – ensured that Thursday’s game was a tight affair through five innings, but LA took the lead in the sixth on Tommy Edman’s RBI single.—
George Ramsay,
CNN Money,
17 Oct. 2025
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Thibodeau was known for utilizing a tight rotation and playing his guys for extended minutes.—
Stan Son,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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But that doesn't mean Davis is impervious to economic headwinds.—
Laura Hackett,
NPR,
26 Sep. 2025
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Broder was a rare figure that was impervious to the notorious agency wars, commanding respect across agency lines.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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What role did the infamous and cryptic Bob Gray play in the story?—
Abbey White,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Oct. 2025
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Weeks before the actress officially filed for divorce, Kidman subtly alluded in a Vogue interview to what appeared to be a cryptic preview of the split.—
Stephanie Giang-Paunon,
FOXNews.com,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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But in an Akan language, the notion that an object could exist as a bare substrate, stripped of properties—say, the idea of a stone, with its weight, texture, and color subtracted—is basically unintelligible; the metaphysical split between a thing and its properties isn’t naturally expressible.—
Lula Konner,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Oct. 2025
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However, audio quality can make or break social media content and while some people can tolerate less-than-perfect video, poor and unintelligible sound often has audiences swiping left.—
Mark Sparrow,
Forbes.com,
24 June 2025
Adjective
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Their style of pitching — relentlessly pound the strike zone — works well in a ballpark where the thick air depresses doubles and triples.—
Tyler Kepner,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
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Let cool and spread a layer, about one-fourth-inch thick, of cream cheese icing over the entire cake.—
Kathryn Gregory,
Louisville Courier Journal,
15 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Impenetrable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impenetrable. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
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