impassable

adjective

(ˌ)im-ˈpa-sə-bəl How to pronounce impassable (audio)
variants also impassible
Definition of impassablenext
as in close
impossible to get through or into the road was impassable until snowplows cleared it

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 impassable The warnings have also prompted multiple highway closures in the area, with the department warning that roads could become impassable and that there was water already on some roads. — Mithil Aggarwal, NBC News, 13 Feb. 2025 What are the alternatives when first responders are unable to leave their homes or roads become impassable due to floods, fire, or ice? — Josh Klein, New York Daily News, 9 Feb. 2025 Authorities warn of potential power outages, impassable roads, and school closures as the storm progresses. — Kristan Hawkins, Newsweek, 6 Feb. 2025 Farmers rushed to move cows to keep them from freezing to death and to feed and water them as rural roads became impassable. — Melina Walling, Chicago Tribune, 11 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for impassable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impassable
  1. close
  2. impervious
  3. frozen
  4. impenetrable
  5. impermeable
  6. impregnable
  7. dense
Adjective
  • Archway provides a no-obligation offer within 24 hours, can pay cash and close within three days or on a future date of the seller’s choice, and there are no fees or commissions to pay.
    — Archway Homes, Kansas City Star, 23 Mar. 2025
  • Coleman remains one of his closest friends in football and is able to provide insight into the formative parts of his playing and coaching careers.
    — Simon Hughes, The Athletic, 23 Mar. 2025
Definition of close
Adjective
  • The underlying labor market remains strong for now, but is not impervious to the effects of tariffs.
    — David Faris, Newsweek, 17 Mar. 2025
  • That kind of confidence seemingly makes the Tritons impervious to shot-making fluctuation.
    — Ivan Carter, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Feb. 2025
Definition of impervious
Adjective
  • With their teeth bared in a frozen rictus grin, this couple appears to be hiding a darkness which we are left only to guess at.
    — Naomi Fry, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2025
  • The products were in the frozen foods aisle in the grocery store.
    — Anna Commander, Newsweek, 15 Mar. 2025
Definition of frozen
Adjective
  • It’s apparently been rigged into an impenetrable torture device on wheels.
    — Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Mar. 2025
  • The black-and-white cinematography is effectively murky, painting everything from circus sideshows to public baths with impenetrable inky corners.
    — Joe Reid, Vulture, 28 Feb. 2025
Definition of impenetrable
Adjective
  • This is a semipermeable membrane that conducts protons while being impermeable to hydrogen.
    — IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 20 Oct. 2010
  • Much of the Floridan Aquifer is shielded significantly from downward migration of pollution by overlying layers of dense, impermeable clay.
    — Kevin Spear, Orlando Sentinel, 28 Feb. 2025
Definition of impermeable
Adjective
  • From Sandro Tonali to Dan Burn and Dubravka, this current side have been borderline impregnable over the past month.
    — Chris Waugh, The Athletic, 16 Jan. 2025
  • For more than half a century, the Assad dynasty appeared to have an impregnable hold over Syria.
    — Natasha Hall, Foreign Affairs, 9 Dec. 2024
Definition of impregnable
Adjective
  • That hypothetical journey would have faced formidable obstacles including mountains, rivers and dense forests, and may have taken about eight months.
    — Richard Grant, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Mar. 2025
  • In extremely dense fog where visibility is near zero, the best course of action is to first turn on your hazard lights, then simply pull into a safe location such as a parking lot of a local business, and stop.
    — CA Weather Bot, Sacramento Bee, 24 Mar. 2025
Definition of dense

Browse Nearby Words

impart (to)
impassable
impasse
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Cite this Entry

“Impassable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impassable. Accessed 29 Mar. 2025.

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