impossible

adjective

(ˌ)im-ˈpä-sə-bəl How to pronounce impossible (audio)
Definition of impossiblenext
as in unlikely
incapable of being solved or accomplished the seemingly impossible problem of world hunger fitting everything in my backpack seemed an impossible task

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 impossible Look closely at the timeline before deciding the opportunity is impossible. — Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 6 Sep. 2026 And yet another core American truth is that being normal about football is just about impossible. — Jesse Dougherty, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2026 Even the captions are becoming otherworldly, posing impossible situations. — Owen Carry, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2026 Instead, we’re presented with deviant men defined only by their fetishes, creating an uneasy imbalance that’s impossible to ignore. — Jay Weissberg, Variety, 4 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for impossible
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impossible
  1. unlikely
  2. hopeless
  3. problematic
  4. impractical
  5. futile
Adjective
  • The rationale being that Frank Lampard got his tactics spot on at the Etihad and on another day – a day when Coventry were more decisive in front of goal – their head coach would have been celebrating an unlikely result.
    — Stuart James, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Chris Douglas, a professor of economics at the University of Michigan-Flint, called it unlikely that stick prices will go up 50% across the board, noting Canada's modest market share, but wonders what will happen if demand increases.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of unlikely
Adjective
  • Corruption was endemic, and the country’s deeper troubles—its poverty, its social inequities, and the hopeless conditions that drive millions of Nepalis to emigrate for work—endured, laying the kindling for last year’s explosion.
    — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Sometimes, love in a hopeless place is worth the price of admission.
    — Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of hopeless
Adjective
  • The lack of an alternative striker to Haaland could be problematic if the 26-year-old misses any significant period, and given Trafford played an important role in City winning two domestic cups last season, Rulli will have a lot to live up to.
    — Sam Lee, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
  • As the first episode begins, the exultant staffers arrive at work only to find out the office in mourning over the death of a beloved Softees salesman, whose problematic personal life will make the writing of the obit a nightmare of an assignment.
    — Julie Hinds, Freep.com, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of problematic
Adjective
  • First glimpsed in The Empire Strikes Back and heavily featured in Return of the Jedi are typical of the Empire; designed to instil fear, but laughably impractical.
    — Chris McMullen, Space.com, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Without the proper port facilities, regulations, safety protocols, and other essentials, nuclear cargo ships are as impractical as steamships without coal or oil refueling stations.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of impractical
Adjective
  • Requests for records from Princeton City Schools, Northwest Local Schools and Mason City Schools also largely proved futile.
    — Grace Tucker, Cincinnati Enquirer, 30 Aug. 2026
  • In sick bay, M’Benga tries to remove the table and end his life so Chapel can give up on him, an effort that proves futile.
    — Keith Phipps, Vulture, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of futile

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impossible
impossibly
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Cite this Entry

“Impossible.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impossible. Accessed 8 Sep. 2026.

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