Standard Lemma guide

impassable

adj · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • CMU ARPABET: IH2 M P AE1 S AH0 B AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Incapable of being passed over, crossed, or negotiated.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: usually

Qualifier: terrain

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Incapable of being overcome or surmounted.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Not usable as legal tender.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective

Meaning 4

incapable of being passed

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: unpassable

Antonyms: passable

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Italic *n̥- Latin in-bor. Middle English in- English im- Proto-Indo-European *peth2-der. Proto-Italic *pattus Latin passus Proto-Italic *-āzi ▲ Latin -ereinflu. Latin -āre Vulgar Latin *passāre Old French passerbor. Middle English passen English pass Proto-Indo-European *-tḗr Proto-Indo-European *-dhlom Proto-Indo-European *-dhlis Proto-Italic *-ðlis Latin -bilis Latin -ābilis Old French -ablebor. Middle English -able English -able English impassable From im- + pass + -able.

Across languages

Translations

26 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Azerbaijani: keçilməz — incapable of being passed over, crossed, or negotiated
  • Bulgarian: непроходим (neprohodim) — incapable of being passed over, crossed, or negotiated
  • Catalan: infranquejable — incapable of being passed over, crossed, or negotiated
  • German: unpassierbar — incapable of being passed over, crossed, or negotiated
  • German: unüberwindbar — incapable of being passed over, crossed, or negotiated
  • German: unüberwindlich — incapable of being passed over, crossed, or negotiated
  • Greek: αδιάβατος (adiávatos) — incapable of being passed over, crossed, or negotiated
  • Ancient Greek: ἀδιάβατος (adiábatos) — incapable of being passed over, crossed, or negotiated
  • Ancient Greek: ἀπόρευτος (apóreutos) — incapable of being passed over, crossed, or negotiated
  • Ancient Greek: ἄπορος (áporos) — incapable of being passed over, crossed, or negotiated
  • Hungarian: járhatatlan — incapable of being passed over, crossed, or negotiated
  • Hungarian: áthatolhatatlan — incapable of being passed over, crossed, or negotiated
  • Hungarian: áthághatatlan — incapable of being passed over, crossed, or negotiated
  • Icelandic: ófært — incapable of being passed over, crossed, or negotiated
  • Latin: invius — incapable of being passed over, crossed, or negotiated
  • Norwegian Bokmål: uframkommelig — incapable of being passed over, crossed, or negotiated
  • Norwegian Bokmål: ufremkommelig — incapable of being passed over, crossed, or negotiated
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: uframkomeleg — incapable of being passed over, crossed, or negotiated
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: uframkommeleg — incapable of being passed over, crossed, or negotiated
  • Old English: weġlēas — incapable of being passed over, crossed, or negotiated
  • Polish: nieprzejezdny — incapable of being passed over, crossed, or negotiated
  • Polish: nieprzekraczalny — incapable of being passed over, crossed, or negotiated
  • Romanian: impracticabil — incapable of being passed over, crossed, or negotiated
  • Spanish: infranqueable — incapable of being passed over, crossed, or negotiated
  • Turkish: geçilmez — incapable of being passed over, crossed, or negotiated
  • Ottoman Turkish: صارپ (sarp) — incapable of being passed over, crossed, or negotiated
Real reading context

impassable in complete knowledge articles