as in insuperable
incapable of being defeated, overcome, or subdued
the familiar story of the underdog who ultimately triumphs despite insurmountable odds
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Recent Examples of insurmountable
Orlando is tied for ninth in the Eastern Conference, two games behind the Toronto Raptors for the sixth and final automatic playoff berth with an almost-insurmountable nine-game lead over the Milwaukee Bucks and Chicago Bulls for the final play-in spot.
—
Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 26 Mar. 2026
His five-point lead over Kagiyama and Siao after the short program seemed insurmountable.
—ABC News, 26 Mar. 2026
The final moments of UConn’s 73-57 victory over UCLA on Sunday night were the culmination of a triumph in the NCAA Tournament, over a formidable opponent, and those two often insurmountable foes, injury and pain.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 23 Mar. 2026
Florida’s short warrant periods put insurmountable pressures on attorneys tasked with litigating for their clients facing execution.
—Melanie Verdecia, Sun Sentinel, 22 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for insurmountable
Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 26 Mar. 2026
His five-point lead over Kagiyama and Siao after the short program seemed insurmountable.
—ABC News, 26 Mar. 2026
The final moments of UConn’s 73-57 victory over UCLA on Sunday night were the culmination of a triumph in the NCAA Tournament, over a formidable opponent, and those two often insurmountable foes, injury and pain.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 23 Mar. 2026
Florida’s short warrant periods put insurmountable pressures on attorneys tasked with litigating for their clients facing execution.
—Melanie Verdecia, Sun Sentinel, 22 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for insurmountable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insurmountable
Adjective
-
The company’s regulatory prospects may have indeed been insuperable, as many opined, but the bigger challenge is a familiar, having helped shape Walt Disney Corp.’s board choice for Bob Iger’s successor.—
David Bloom,
Forbes.com,
27 Feb. 2026
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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
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
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Mountains as towering, imposing and seemingly unconquerable landscapes have been metaphorically linked to power and challenge.—
Jenny Hall,
CNN Money,
14 May 2025
Adjective
-
Companies that seemed invincible, led by executives who seemed untouchable, backed by portfolios that seemed bulletproof—all gone.—
Brendan Keegan,
Rolling Stone,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Rodrigo Duterte once seemed invincible.—
Sheila Coronel,
The Atlantic,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Max Verstappen snatched the torch from Lewis Hamilton and became one of the most unstoppable Formula 1 drivers in the sport from 2021 to 2024.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Then Smith became virtually unstoppable.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Ethan Ampadu was indomitable in the middle, while Calvert-Lewin tirelessly ran the channels, kept Palace defenders honest and tried to provide a platform when United cleared their lines.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
16 Mar. 2026
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Dengler endured endless torture and other miseries — escaping from prison was just the beginning of his ordeal in the jungle — but Bale plays him as a determined optimist, an indomitable spirit that cannot be crushed.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
7 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Economical in scale, the shows together can easily be seen in a couple of hours, offering an unbeatable overview of a centuries-long artistic story.—
Benjamin Lima
Special Contributor,
Dallas Morning News,
18 Mar. 2026
-
UConn is undefeated, and UCLA looks virtually unbeatable.—
Zach Harper,
New York Times,
16 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Still, like any good soldier, Meredith wasn’t going to be discouraged by a bunch of invulnerable avian tanks.—
Tom Hawking,
Popular Science,
25 Feb. 2026
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That is partly because no other power had enjoyed America’s unique circumstances—largely invulnerable to foreign invasion, because of its strength and its distance from the other great powers, and thus able to deploy force thousands of miles from home without leaving itself at risk.—
Robert Kagan,
The Atlantic,
18 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The multiple attacks could be a major victory for the jihadis in a city seen as impregnable, despite attackers often targeting troops and villages on the outskirts of the city.—
Haruna Umar,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Mar. 2026
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The multiple attacks could be seen as a major victory for the jihadis in a city seen as impregnable despite the jihadis often targeting troops and villages on the outskirts of the city.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Insurmountable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insurmountable. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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