impossible

impossible: im|pos|si|ble¹ W2S2 [ımˈpɔsıbəl US ımˈpa:-] adj

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1¦(can't be done)¦

2¦(situation)¦

3¦(person)¦

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1.) ¦(CAN'T BE DONE)¦

something that is impossible cannot happen or be done

≠ ↑possible

▪ 'I want to speak to Mr Franks.' 'I'm afraid that's impossible.'

▪ It's impossible to be accurate about these things.

▪ The noise made sleep impossible .

▪ Members with young children often found it impossible to attend evening meetings.

▪ It is difficult to find work these days, but for blind people it is virtually impossible .

▪ He was faced with a seemingly impossible task.

▪ It was physically impossible to get the fridge through the door.

▪ Six months ago, peace seemed an impossible dream .

▪ Such mental attitudes are difficult, if not impossible , to change.

2.) ¦(SITUATION)¦

a situation that is impossible is one that you cannot deal with

▪ We were in an impossible situation. Whatever we decided to do would upset someone.

▪ Helen's refusal to cooperate put me in an impossible position .

▪ His attitude is making life impossible for the rest of the team.

▪ He was facing impossible odds.

3.) ¦(PERSON)¦

behaving in a very unreasonable and annoying way

▪ Oh, you're just impossible!

>impossibly adv

▪ Some sales managers think selling abroad is impossibly difficult.

▪ He looked impossibly handsome in his formal suit.

>impossibility [ımˌpɔsıˈbılıti US -ˌpa:-] n [U and C]

▪ 100 percent airline security is a practical impossibility.

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COLLOCATES for sense 1

it is impossible (for somebody) to do something

make something impossible

find it impossible to do something

prove impossible (=be impossible, because you have tried but not succeeded)

virtually/almost/practically/nearly impossible

well-nigh impossible (=almost impossible)

absolutely/utterly impossible

seemingly impossible (=seeming to be impossible)

physically impossible

impossible task

impossible feat (=something that is impossible to do)

impossible dream (=something you want but that will never happen)

difficult, if not impossible (=difficult, and perhaps impossible)

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impossible ²

impossible² n

the impossible

something that cannot be done

attempt/do/ask etc the impossible

▪ I just want to be able to buy healthy food at a reasonable price. Is that asking the impossible?

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Synonyms:

Impracticable, unfeasible, unattainable, unachievable, out of the question / Inconceivable, unthinkable, that cannot be, incapable of occurring or of being so, absurd, self-contradictory

Look at other dictionaries:

impossible — [ ɛ̃pɔsibl ] adj. et n. m. • 1227; lat. impossibilis ♦ Qui ne peut être, exister; qui n est pas possible. I ♦ Adj. 1 ♦ Qui ne peut se produire, être atteint ou réalisé. Cette éventualité lui paraît impossible. ⇒ inenvisageable. Solution… … Encyclopédie Universelle
impossible — Impossible. adj. de tout genre. Qui ne peut estre, qui ne se peut faire. Le mouvement perpetuel est impossible. la quadrature du cercle est regardée comme impossible. il n y a rien d impossible à Dieu. cela est moralement impossible. Il se dit… … Dictionnaire de l'Académie française
impossible — Impossible, Impossibilis. Il est impossible d avantage, Nihil supra. Il est impossible de faire aujourd huy tellement l ouvrage, que tousjours il n y ait à refaire, Numquam hoc vno die efficiatur opus, quin opus semper fiet. Il est impossible que … Thresor de la langue françoyse
Impossible — Im*pos si*ble, a. [F., fr. L. impossibilis; pref. im not + possibilis possible. See {Possible}.] Not possible; incapable of being done, of existing, etc.; unattainable in the nature of things, or by means at command; insuperably difficult under… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Impossible — Im*pos si*ble, n. An impossibility; as, he tried to do the impossible. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] Madam, quoth he, this were an impossible! Chaucer. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
impossible — im·pos·si·ble adj: not possible: incapable of being done, attained, or fulfilled a party s performance is impossible in part Merriam Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam Webster. 1996. impossible … Law dictionary
impossible — [im päs′ə bəl] adj. [OFr < L impossibilis: see IN 2 & POSSIBLE] 1. not capable of being, being done, or happening 2. not capable of being done easily or conveniently 3. not capable of being endured, used, agreed to, etc. because disagreeable… … English World dictionary
impossible — (adj.) late 14c., from O.Fr. impossible, from L. impossibilis not possible, from assimilated form of in not, opposite of (see IN (Cf. in ) (1)) + possibilis (see POSSIBLE (Cf. possible)). Related: Impossibly … Etymology dictionary
impossible — [adj1] beyond the bounds of possibility absurd, beyond, contrary to reason, cureless, futile, hardly possible, hopeless, hundred to one*, impassable, impervious, impracticable, impractical, inaccessible, inconceivable, inexecutable, infeasible,… … New thesaurus
impossible — ► ADJECTIVE 1) not able to occur, exist, or be done. 2) very difficult to deal with: an impossible situation. DERIVATIVES impossibility noun (pl. impossibilities) impossibly adverb … English terms dictionary
impossible — (in po si bl ) adj. 1° Qui ne peut être, qui ne peut se faire. • Tout ce qui n est pas aisé, ils [les lâches conseillers] le nomment impossible, BALZAC De la cour, 5e disc.. • À qui sait bien aimer il n est rien d impossible, CORN. Médée, V … Dictionnaire de la Langue Française d'Émile Littré

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impossible

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