IMPOSSIBLE Synonyms: 70 Similar and Opposite Words

impossible

adjective

(ˌ)im-ˈpä-sə-bəl

Definition of impossible

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

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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 As America marks its 250th birthday, with so many of the country’s problems seeming unsolvable, Borchardt reminds us that impossible sometimes just means unfinished. — Maira Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2026 It was built on steel, sweat and the kind of practical ingenuity that turns impossible ideas into finished work. — Malika Bowling, USA Today, 3 July 2026 Best Hotels & Resorts Americana Motor Hotel The playful design scheme of the Americana Motor Hotel is impossible to ignore. — Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 3 July 2026 Still, for Edward, the last 18 months have made celebrating feel impossible. — Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 3 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for impossible

Recent Examples of Synonyms for impossible

Adjective

Luther said that is unlikely to happen because the governor and lawmakers are campaigning for the November election.

— Jack Fink, CBS News, 14 July 2026
Although the third-place play-off counts towards fantasy points, that game is unlikely to be taken too seriously by either side and rotation could be an issue.

— Abdul Rehman, New York Times, 14 July 2026

Definition of unlikely

Adjective

Michael Johnston plays Bear, a music store employee who has a hopeless crush on his co-worker Nikki.

— Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 11 July 2026
Waymo’s fleet of autonomous taxis has garnered a reputation for causing mayhem on public streets, from trapping drivers in hours of hopeless gridlock to driving into oncoming traffic.

— Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 8 July 2026

Definition of hopeless

Adjective

Due to their smaller size, developers hope they can be manufactured more efficiently and deployed in places where large nuclear plants would be impractical.

— Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 11 July 2026
As a result, face-to-face interactions at bank branches are increasingly impractical.

— Eyal Lifshitz, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026

Definition of impractical

Adjective

By the late 1970s, the brothers were exhausted by the work of being professional Rosenbergs, and starting to worry that the effort was futile.

— Amy Weiss-Meyer, The Atlantic, 10 July 2026
On appeal, the Crown argued the trial judge erred by declining to order a fitness assessment before considering a stay and by concluding such an assessment would be futile.

— Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 9 July 2026

Definition of futile

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impossible

impossibly

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

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Synonyms of impossible

adjective

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