as in insuperable
incapable of being defeated, overcome, or subdued
the familiar story of the underdog who ultimately triumphs despite insurmountable odds
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 insurmountable
Regardless of the Scotland golf properties’ development prospects, both businesses face an almost insurmountable battle to make a dent in their sizable debts.
—
Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2025
With Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman — who had not allowed a run or even a hit in his last 11 appearances covering 10 2/3 innings — coming in for the bottom of the ninth, a 2-0 deficit would have seemed insurmountable.
—Jon Vankin, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Aug. 2025
In 2023, those worried about present versus future harms from chatbots were separated by an insurmountable chasm.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 21 Aug. 2025
However, Reyes said, the financial problem currently is insurmountable.
—Steven Mihailovich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for insurmountable
Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2025
With Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman — who had not allowed a run or even a hit in his last 11 appearances covering 10 2/3 innings — coming in for the bottom of the ninth, a 2-0 deficit would have seemed insurmountable.
—Jon Vankin, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Aug. 2025
In 2023, those worried about present versus future harms from chatbots were separated by an insurmountable chasm.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 21 Aug. 2025
However, Reyes said, the financial problem currently is insurmountable.
—Steven Mihailovich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for insurmountable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insurmountable
Adjective
-
Raise the stakes, place insuperable obstacles before the protagonist, have the protagonist somehow surmount them while becoming braver and better.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
9 June 2025
-
Cohen overcomes the virtually insuperable challenge by asking the Hong Kong police to present him with any escapee from the PRC, even those found floating in the harbor.—
Melik Kaylan,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2025
Adjective
-
The seemingly unconquerable fig butterwort (Ficaria verna) invades lowland valleys where seasonal floods carry little broken off bits downstream to sprout anywhere and everywhere.—
Paul Cappiello,
The Courier-Journal,
15 Aug. 2025
-
Mountains as towering, imposing and seemingly unconquerable landscapes have been metaphorically linked to power and challenge.—
Jenny Hall,
CNN Money,
14 May 2025
Adjective
-
But every time you’re done lifting, your brain feels invincible.—
Kristen Rogers,
CNN Money,
1 Sep. 2025
-
Here in California, our once-invincible white collar economy is beginning to shatter.—
Michael Bernick,
Forbes.com,
27 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez are seemingly unstoppable, and their building has a seemingly infinite number of murders in this Hulu mystery comedy.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
-
How about unstoppable spending on the People’s Liberation Army?—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Though singer-songwriter and countercultural icon Marianne Faithfull died earlier this year, at the age of 78, this witty, provocative, and playfully post-modern docu-bio is sure to keep her indomitable spirit alive.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
30 Aug. 2025
-
Roc is at his best skillfully weaving internal and external rhymes together, crafting scenes of his charmed life as an indomitable hustler who can’t be shown up, intimidated, or outrhymed.—
Andre Gee,
Rolling Stone,
8 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Those fortunes were made and squandered rapidly—Iran went from bereft during the Iran-Iraq War, to unbeatable two decades later, to resoundingly beaten a little less than two decades after that.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
2 Sep. 2025
-
Quality, affordable clothing can be hard to come by, so consider this your reminder to take advantage of the unbeatable Labor Day sales happening right now.—
Isis Briones,
Travel + Leisure,
31 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Luthor has always been an ingenious nemesis for the invulnerable Superman: a merely intelligent human, an evildoing Prometheus out to steal fire from our benevolent cape-wearing god.—
Derek Robertson,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Aug. 2025
-
But second-strike capabilities are not invulnerable.—
SAM WINTER-LEVY,
Foreign Affairs,
7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Resilience is the key The word ‘resilient’ used to mean impregnable and capable of withstanding all challenges.—
David Parker,
Forbes.com,
31 July 2025
-
One of the grandest occasions in golf was in 1930, when the great Bobby Jones won the British Amateur at St. Andrews and then captured the claret jug at Royal Liverpool on his way to winning the Grand Slam of that era — the impregnable quadrilateral, as it was called.—
Doug Ferguson,
Chicago Tribune,
16 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Insurmountable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insurmountable. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share