Impossible — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

something that cannot be done

not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/ɪmpˈɑːsᵻbəl/

🇬🇧British English

/ɪmpˈɒsɪbəl/

🇮🇳Indian English

/ɪmpˈɒsɪbəl/

3 syllables Say it as /ɪmpˈɑːsᵻbəl/.

Examples

his assignment verged on the impossible
an impossible dream
an impossible situation

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

unimaginable insufferable unsufferable unacceptable out of the question inconceivable

Antonyms

possible

Parts of Speech

noun	something that cannot be done “his assignment verged on the impossible”
adjective	not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with “an impossible dream”
adjective	totally unlikely
adjective	used of persons or their behavior “impossible behavior”

Word Forms

impossibleness	noun	incapability of existing or occurring
impossibility	noun	incapability of existing or occurring
inconceivableness	noun	the state of being impossible to conceive
inconceivability	noun	the state of being impossible to conceive
unacceptableness	noun	unsatisfactoriness by virtue of not conforming to approved standards
unacceptability	noun	unsatisfactoriness by virtue of not conforming to approved standards

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

unmöglich

etwas, das nicht getan werden kann

🇪🇸Spanish

imposible

algo que no se puede hacer

🇮🇹Italian

impossibile

qualcosa che non può essere fatto

🇳🇱Dutch

onmogelijk

iets dat niet gedaan kan worden

🇵🇹Portuguese

impossível

algo que não pode ser feito

🇷🇺Russian

невозможный

что-то, что невозможно сделать

India

🇮🇳Hindi

असंभव

कुछ ऐसा जो नहीं किया जा सकता

🇧🇩Bengali

অসম্ভব

এমন কিছু যা করা যায় না

🇮🇳Tamil

சாத்தியமற்றது

செய்ய முடியாத ஒன்று

🇮🇳Telugu

అసాధ్యం

చేయలేనిది

🇮🇳Marathi

अशक्य

असे काहीतरी जे करता येत नाही

🇮🇳Gujarati

અશક્ય

કંઈક જે કરી શકાતું નથી

🇮🇳Kannada

ಅಸಾಧ್ಯ

ಮಾಡಲಾಗದ ಏನೋ

🇮🇳Malayalam

അസാധ്യം

ചെയ്യാൻ കഴിയാത്ത ഒന്ന്

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਅਸੰਭਵ

ਕੁਝ ਅਜਿਹਾ ਜੋ ਨਹੀਂ ਕੀਤਾ ਜਾ ਸਕਦਾ

🇵🇰Urdu

ناممکن

کچھ جو نہیں کیا جا سکتا

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

不可能的

做不到的事

🇯🇵Japanese

不可能

できないこと

🇰🇷Korean

불가능한

할 수 없는 일

🇻🇳Vietnamese

không thể nào

một cái gì đó không thể được thực hiện

🇹🇭Thai

เป็นไปไม่ได้

สิ่งที่ไม่สามารถทำได้

🇮🇩Indonesian

mustahil

sesuatu yang tidak bisa dilakukan

🇵🇭Filipino

imposible

isang bagay na hindi maaaring gawin

🇲🇾Malay

mustahil

sesuatu yang tidak boleh dilakukan

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

مستحيل

شيء لا يمكن القيام به

🇮🇷Persian

غیر ممکن

کاری که نمی توان انجام داد

🇹🇷Turkish

imkansız

yapılamayan bir şey

🇮🇱Hebrew

בִּלתִי אֶפשָׂרִי

משהו שאי אפשר לעשות

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'impossible'?

The primary meaning of 'impossible' is 'something that cannot be done'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'impossible' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'impossible' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'impossible' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'impossible' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'impossible' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'impossible' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'impossible' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'impossible' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'impossible' in a professional email?

Very likely

Somewhat likely

Not very likely

Never

Would you classify 'impossible' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

Pick an option to see how others voted