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

Some analysts, however, think a deal is unlikely because the company would not want to be saddled with a broadcast network.

— Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
The motion is unlikely to pass, but indicates how deeply politicized the issue has become.

— CNN Money, CNN Money, 7 July 2026

Definition of unlikely

Adjective

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
Released in theaters on May 15, Obsession follows the harrowing path of Bear (Johnston), a lovelorn music store employee who has a hopeless crush on his co-worker, Nikki (Navarrette).

— Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026

Definition of hopeless

Adjective

Note that film-rating site Rotten Tomatoes was part of NBCUniversal for years, and some critics have slammed that ownership structure as being problematic.

— Todd Spangler, Variety, 10 July 2026
Manufacturers continue to refine the technology, but many of the refrigerants remain problematic.

— Sabrina Weiss, ArsTechnica, 10 July 2026

Definition of problematic

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 12 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of impossible

adjective

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