adj · 3 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
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CMU ARPABET:IH2 N S ER0 M AW1 N T AH0 B AH0 L
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
Incapable of being passed over, surmounted, or overcome; insuperable
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
Getting everybody to agree proved to be an insurmountable difficulty.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: unsurmountable
Antonyms: surmountable
2
adjective
Meaning 2
not capable of being surmounted or overcome
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
insurmountable disadvantages
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: unsurmountable
Antonyms: surmountable
3
adjective satellite
Meaning 3
impossible to surmount
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: insuperable
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Italic *n̥- Latin in-bor. Middle English in- English in- English surmount 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 surmountable English insurmountable From in- + surmountable.
Across languages
Translations
49 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Belarusian:
неадо́льны
(njeadólʹny)
— incapable of being passed over
Belarusian:
непераадо́льны
(njepjeraadólʹny)
— incapable of being passed over
Bulgarian:
непреодоли́м
(nepreodolím)
— incapable of being passed over
Catalan:
insuperable
— incapable of being passed over
Chinese Mandarin:
無法克服的 /无法克服的
(wúfǎ kèfú de)
— incapable of being passed over
Czech:
nepřekonatelný
— incapable of being passed over
Dutch:
onoverkomelijk
— incapable of being passed over
Finnish:
ylipääsemätön
— incapable of being passed over
Finnish:
ylitsepääsemätön
— incapable of being passed over
French:
insurmontable
— incapable of being passed over
French:
infranchissable
— incapable of being passed over
French:
impassable
— incapable of being passed over
German:
unüberwindlich
— incapable of being passed over
German:
unüberwindbar
— incapable of being passed over
Greek:
ανυπέρβλητος
(anypérvlitos)
— incapable of being passed over
Greek:
αξεπέραστος
(axepérastos)
— incapable of being passed over
Hungarian:
leküzdhetetlen
— incapable of being passed over
Hungarian:
legyőzhetetlen
— incapable of being passed over
Hungarian:
áthághatatlan
— incapable of being passed over
Hungarian:
áthidalhatatlan
— incapable of being passed over
Irish:
dochloíte
— incapable of being passed over
Irish:
dosháraithe
— incapable of being passed over
Latin:
inēluctābilis
— incapable of being passed over
Latin:
insuperābilis
— incapable of being passed over
Macedonian:
несовладлив
(nesovladliv)
— incapable of being passed over
Macedonian:
непремостлив
(nepremostliv)
— incapable of being passed over
Norwegian Bokmål:
uoverstigelig
— incapable of being passed over
Norwegian Nynorsk:
uoverstigeleg
— incapable of being passed over
Polish:
nieprzezwyciężony
— incapable of being passed over
Polish:
nie do pokonania
— incapable of being passed over
Portuguese:
insuperável
— incapable of being passed over
Portuguese:
inexorável
— incapable of being passed over
Romanian:
insurmontabil
— incapable of being passed over
Russian:
непреодоли́мый
(nepreodolímyj)
— incapable of being passed over
Russian:
неодоли́мый
(neodolímyj)
— incapable of being passed over
Slovene:
nepremostljiv
— incapable of being passed over
Slovene:
nepremagljiv
— incapable of being passed over
Spanish:
insalvable
— incapable of being passed over
Spanish:
insuperable
— incapable of being passed over
Spanish:
infranqueable
— incapable of being passed over
Swedish:
oöverstiglig
— incapable of being passed over
Turkish:
aşılamaz
— incapable of being passed over
Ukrainian:
неперебо́рний
(neperebórnyj)
— incapable of being passed over
Ukrainian:
непобо́рний
(nepobórnyj)
— incapable of being passed over
Ukrainian:
непобори́мий
(nepoborýmyj)
— incapable of being passed over
Ukrainian:
незбори́мий
(nezborýmyj)
— incapable of being passed over
Ukrainian:
незбо́рний
(nezbórnyj)
— incapable of being passed over
Ukrainian:
нездола́нний
(nezdolánnyj)
— incapable of being passed over
Ukrainian:
неперемо́жний
(neperemóžnyj)
— incapable of being passed over