impossibleadj.n.

Brit.

/ɪmˈpɒsᵻbl/, U.S.

/ᵻmˈpɑsəb(ə)l/

Forms: Middle English inpossibile, Middle English inpossible, ympossible, impossibel, Middle English–1500s impossyble, Middle English inpossybyll, impossybul, Scottish impossibyll, Middle English– impossible.

Etymology: < French impossible (14th cent.) = Italian impossibile , or < (post-classical) Latin impossibilis , < im- (im- prefix²) + possibilis possible adj., adv., and n.

A. adj.

a. Not possible; that cannot be done or effected; that cannot exist or come into being; that cannot be, in existing or specified circumstances. Const. to or for.The exact sphere in which the thing is declared to be impossible is sometimes expressed by the adverbs logically, mathematically, morally, physically (see these words).

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > difficulty > practical impossibility > [adjective]

impossible1340

unfeasible1527

infeasible1533

unablec1540

unperformable1583

unpracticeable1588

unfeasable1628

uneffectible1646

unpracticable1650

unoperable1652

unaccomplishable1675

imprestable1683

imperformable1693

impracticable1696

unexecutable1794

ineffectible1806

inexecutable1833

unworkable1839

impractical1865

undoable1865

impos.1924

the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > impossibility > [adjective]

unmightyOE

impossible1340

unpossiblea1382

unmightful?a1425

unfeasible1527

out of the question1607

card1813

unrealizable1832

irrealizable1853

inoperable1975

1340 R. Rolle Pricke of Conscience 6281 Swa witty and myghty es he Þat na-thyng til hym impossibel may be.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 14761 It es bot foli al þi talking, And als an inpossibile [Gött. impossible] thing.

1484 W. Caxton tr. Subtyl Historyes & Fables Esope v. i None ought not to entremete hym to doo that that Impossyble is to hym.

a1500 (a1460) Towneley Plays (1994) I. xii. 121 Nothyng is inpossybyll, Sothly, that God wyll.

1529 T. More Dialogue Heresyes i, in Wks. 126/1 They..laughed therat as at an impossible lye.

1697 W. Dampier New Voy. around World ix. 274 How often do we see that sometimes designs have been given over as impossible, and at another time..have been accomplished?

1751 J. Hill Rev. Wks. Royal Soc. (1780) 66 It becomes a wise Man not to think any Thing impossible.

1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps i. xi. 74 We reached a place where further advance was impossible.

b. with infinitive complement (now usually active, sometimes passive).

ΚΠ

c1400 Mandeville's Trav. (1839) xxvi. 265 Summe of hem trowed, it were an Inpossible thing to be.

1476 J. Paston in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) I. 603 It is non jnpossybyll to bryng a-bowght.

1484 W. Caxton tr. Subtyl Historyes & Fables Esope i. xvii None ought to entermete hym self for to doo a thynge, whiche as for hym impossyble is to be done.

1561 T. Norton tr. J. Calvin Inst. Christian Relig. i. f. 5^v His power impossible to be auoided, hangeth ouer them.

1656 E. Waller To my Ld. Protector x What may be thought impossible to do By us.

1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost iv. 548 The rest was craggie cliff..impossible to climbe.

c. Often qualifying an infinitive phrase, or substantive clause: commonly introduced by it.

ΚΠ

1340–70 Alex. & Dind. 1108 To oure painede peple inpossible hit semeþ, Þat ȝe oure manerus mihte mekliche endure.

1377 W. Langland Piers Plowman B. x. 336 Poule preueth it inpossible riche men haue [some MSS. to haue] heuene.

c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Heb. xi. 6 It is inpossible ony man for to plese God withoute feith.

1390 J. Gower Confessio Amantis II. 153 To ben a god is inpossible.

a1400–50 Alexander 2707 Inpossible it semes A heuy As to be houyn [Dublin MS. to heff] on hye to þe sternes.

1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection i. sig. Eiiii It was impossible for them to..wynne the sayd lande.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Taming of Shrew (1623) ii. i. 278 It were impossible I should speed amisse.

1708 Lady M. W. Montagu Let. (1965) I. 2 I believed it impossible you should forget me.

1852 H. Rogers Eclipse of Faith 275 It is impossible that we should ever see levers perfectly inflexible.

1864 Daily Tel. 20 Sept. To give anything like a correct amount of the loss..would be impossible.

1890 Law Times Rep. 63 766/2 It was impossible..for a loading berth to be secured.

2. Mathematics. Having no possible or real value, imaginary.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > number > mathematical number or quantity > [adjective] > prime > imaginary

imaginary1670

impossible1673

ideal1861

1673 J. Kersey Elem. Algebra I. ii. xi. 269 Impossible Roots are such whose values cannot be conceived or comprehended either Arithmetically or Geometrically; As in this Equation, a=2−√−1,..for no number can be imagined, which being multiplied by it self according to any Rule of Multiplication, will produce −1.

1830 T. P. Thompson in Westm. Rev. Jan. 229 Coming, like impossible roots, by pairs.

1874 I. Todhunter Trigonom. (1882) xix. §271. 216 If n be even, the last term..is possible..and the last term but one is impossible.

3. With ellipsis of some qualification suggested by the context; as, impossible to deal with, to carry into practice, to do anything with, to get on with, to tolerate, to recognize; utterly unsuitable or impracticable, ‘out of the question’.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > difficulty > practical impossibility > [adjective] > impossible to deal with

impossible1858

unworkable1862

1858 T. Carlyle Hist. Friedrich II of Prussia I. iii. vi. 247 Never was a spirited young fellow placed in more impossible position.

1865 M. Arnold Ess. Crit. Pref. p. xix Oxford...Adorable dreamer..home of lost causes, and forsaken beliefs, and unpopular names, and impossible loyalties!

1876 W. Besant & J. Rice Golden Butterfly II. xii. 173 To all the world except Jack and Agatha, she was an impossible girl; she said things that no other girl would have said.

1884 Harper's Mag. May 911/2 The..ghosts..made the place absolutely impossible.

1886 G. Allen & M. Cotes Kalee's Shrine i. 17 The dear old ugly lady..in the speckly dress and impossible bonnet.

B. n.

1. = impossibility n. rare in singular.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > impossibility > [noun] > instance(s) of

impossiblec1374

impossibilityc1500

cannot1626

adynaton1654

impossible1839

blue dahlia1880

c1374 G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde iii. 476 (525) That wyst he wel an inpossible were.

c1440 J. Capgrave Life St. Katherine iv. 662 Your secte..May not stande..Right for þe impossibles whiche þer-inne ȝe hepe.

1472 J. Paston in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) I. 577 Your desyer..was an impossybyl to be browhgt a-bowght.

1532 (c1385) Usk's Test. Loue in Wks. G. Chaucer ii. f. cccxl If I graunt contradyction, I shulde graunte an impossyble.

1678 R. Cudworth True Intellect. Syst. Universe i. ii. 63 A Bundle of Incomprehensibles, Unconceivables, and Impossibles.

1789 T. Taylor tr. Proclus Philos. & Math. Comm. II. 6 The nature of an impossible becomes known from the seventh [theorem].

1866 D. M. Mulock Christian's Mistake 130 Heaven sometimes converts our impossibles and inevitables into the very best blessings we have.

2. With definite article: that which is or seems impossible.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > impossibility > [noun] > instance(s) of

impossiblec1374

impossibilityc1500

cannot1626

adynaton1654

impossible1839

blue dahlia1880

1839 P. J. Bailey Festus 266 He only holds Perfections, which are but the impossible To other beings.

1895 Countess Martinengo-Cesaresco Liberation of Italy xix. 394 Garibaldi..had always demanded the impossible of his men.

1904 Daily Chron. 6 May 7/5 The history of Christianity..had been a triumph of the impossible.

1916 J. Huneker Ivory, Apes & Peacocks 34 All three were consumptives..; all three suffered from the nostalgia of the impossible.

a1930 F. Nansen in Penguin Dict. Mod. Quots. (1971) 166/2 The difficult is what takes a little time; the impossible is what takes a little longer.

1972 Pacifist Nov. 3/1 Remember the Festival motto:—be realistic—demand the impossible.

Compounds

impossible-looking adj.

ΚΠ

a1871 T. Carlyle in J. W. Carlyle Lett. & Memorials (1883) I. 13 Certainly the impossiblest-looking literary problem I ever had.

1898 Westm. Gaz. 31 Mar. This impossible-looking constituency.

Draft additions June 2014

impossible dream n. a highly desirable yet seemingly unattainable goal or ambition.In later use popularized by the song The Impossible Dream (1965) (from the musical Man of La Mancha): see to dream the impossible dream at dream v.² Phrases 2.

ΚΠ

1847 Liberator 23 July 120/4 It seems..desirable..that it [sc. the female character] should be felt in..great national concerns... This would have been an impossible dream, but in these advanced times [etc.].

1855 Musical World 30 June 413/1 What an impossible dream is this Utopia of ‘the Future’.

1926 Manch. Guardian 19 Aug. 6/7 That superlatively perfect system where every individual will get automatically just what he earns, no more and no less, is the impossible dream of the Socialist.

1988 New Scientist 1 Sept. 47 (heading) Star wars: the impossible dream. Five years ago, Ronald Reagan astonished the world with his vision of a giant shield in space.

2004 N.Y. Times Bk. Rev. 25 July 12/3 A true global democracy, in which all of the earth's billions of people actually vote, is an impossible dream.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1899; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

单词	impossible
释义	impossibleadj.n. Brit. /ɪmˈpɒsᵻbl/, U.S. /ᵻmˈpɑsəb(ə)l/ Forms: Middle English inpossibile, Middle English inpossible, ympossible, impossibel, Middle English–1500s impossyble, Middle English inpossybyll, impossybul, Scottish impossibyll, Middle English– impossible. Etymology: < French impossible (14th cent.) = Italian impossibile , or < (post-classical) Latin impossibilis , < im- (im- prefix²) + possibilis possible adj., adv., and n. A. adj. 1. a. Not possible; that cannot be done or effected; that cannot exist or come into being; that cannot be, in existing or specified circumstances. Const. to or for.The exact sphere in which the thing is declared to be impossible is sometimes expressed by the adverbs logically, mathematically, morally, physically (see these words). ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > difficulty > practical impossibility > [adjective] impossible1340 unfeasible1527 infeasible1533 unablec1540 unperformable1583 unpracticeable1588 unfeasable1628 uneffectible1646 unpracticable1650 unoperable1652 unaccomplishable1675 imprestable1683 imperformable1693 impracticable1696 unexecutable1794 ineffectible1806 inexecutable1833 unworkable1839 impractical1865 undoable1865 impos.1924 the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > impossibility > [adjective] unmightyOE impossible1340 unpossiblea1382 unmightful?a1425 unfeasible1527 out of the question1607 card1813 unrealizable1832 irrealizable1853 inoperable1975 1340 R. Rolle Pricke of Conscience 6281 Swa witty and myghty es he Þat na-thyng til hym impossibel may be. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 14761 It es bot foli al þi talking, And als an inpossibile [Gött. impossible] thing. 1484 W. Caxton tr. Subtyl Historyes & Fables Esope v. i None ought not to entremete hym to doo that that Impossyble is to hym. a1500 (a1460) Towneley Plays (1994) I. xii. 121 Nothyng is inpossybyll, Sothly, that God wyll. 1529 T. More Dialogue Heresyes i, in Wks. 126/1 They..laughed therat as at an impossible lye. 1697 W. Dampier New Voy. around World ix. 274 How often do we see that sometimes designs have been given over as impossible, and at another time..have been accomplished? 1751 J. Hill Rev. Wks. Royal Soc. (1780) 66 It becomes a wise Man not to think any Thing impossible. 1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps i. xi. 74 We reached a place where further advance was impossible. b. with infinitive complement (now usually active, sometimes passive). ΚΠ c1400 Mandeville's Trav. (1839) xxvi. 265 Summe of hem trowed, it were an Inpossible thing to be. 1476 J. Paston in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) I. 603 It is non jnpossybyll to bryng a-bowght. 1484 W. Caxton tr. Subtyl Historyes & Fables Esope i. xvii None ought to entermete hym self for to doo a thynge, whiche as for hym impossyble is to be done. 1561 T. Norton tr. J. Calvin Inst. Christian Relig. i. f. 5^v His power impossible to be auoided, hangeth ouer them. 1656 E. Waller To my Ld. Protector x What may be thought impossible to do By us. 1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost iv. 548 The rest was craggie cliff..impossible to climbe. View more context for this quotation c. Often qualifying an infinitive phrase, or substantive clause: commonly introduced by it. ΚΠ 1340–70 Alex. & Dind. 1108 To oure painede peple inpossible hit semeþ, Þat ȝe oure manerus mihte mekliche endure. 1377 W. Langland Piers Plowman B. x. 336 Poule preueth it inpossible riche men haue [some MSS. to haue] heuene. c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Heb. xi. 6 It is inpossible ony man for to plese God withoute feith. 1390 J. Gower Confessio Amantis II. 153 To ben a god is inpossible. a1400–50 Alexander 2707 Inpossible it semes A heuy As to be houyn [Dublin MS. to heff] on hye to þe sternes. 1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection i. sig. Eiiii It was impossible for them to..wynne the sayd lande. a1616 W. Shakespeare Taming of Shrew (1623) ii. i. 278 It were impossible I should speed amisse. View more context for this quotation 1708 Lady M. W. Montagu Let. (1965) I. 2 I believed it impossible you should forget me. 1852 H. Rogers Eclipse of Faith 275 It is impossible that we should ever see levers perfectly inflexible. 1864 Daily Tel. 20 Sept. To give anything like a correct amount of the loss..would be impossible. 1890 Law Times Rep. 63 766/2 It was impossible..for a loading berth to be secured. 2. Mathematics. Having no possible or real value, imaginary. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > number > mathematical number or quantity > [adjective] > prime > imaginary imaginary1670 impossible1673 ideal1861 1673 J. Kersey Elem. Algebra I. ii. xi. 269 Impossible Roots are such whose values cannot be conceived or comprehended either Arithmetically or Geometrically; As in this Equation, a=2−√−1,..for no number can be imagined, which being multiplied by it self according to any Rule of Multiplication, will produce −1. 1830 T. P. Thompson in Westm. Rev. Jan. 229 Coming, like impossible roots, by pairs. 1874 I. Todhunter Trigonom. (1882) xix. §271. 216 If n be even, the last term..is possible..and the last term but one is impossible. 3. With ellipsis of some qualification suggested by the context; as, impossible to deal with, to carry into practice, to do anything with, to get on with, to tolerate, to recognize; utterly unsuitable or impracticable, ‘out of the question’. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > difficulty > practical impossibility > [adjective] > impossible to deal with impossible1858 unworkable1862 1858 T. Carlyle Hist. Friedrich II of Prussia I. iii. vi. 247 Never was a spirited young fellow placed in more impossible position. 1865 M. Arnold Ess. Crit. Pref. p. xix Oxford...Adorable dreamer..home of lost causes, and forsaken beliefs, and unpopular names, and impossible loyalties! 1876 W. Besant & J. Rice Golden Butterfly II. xii. 173 To all the world except Jack and Agatha, she was an impossible girl; she said things that no other girl would have said. 1884 Harper's Mag. May 911/2 The..ghosts..made the place absolutely impossible. 1886 G. Allen & M. Cotes Kalee's Shrine i. 17 The dear old ugly lady..in the speckly dress and impossible bonnet. B. n. 1. = impossibility n. rare in singular. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > impossibility > [noun] > instance(s) of impossiblec1374 impossibilityc1500 cannot1626 adynaton1654 impossible1839 blue dahlia1880 c1374 G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde iii. 476 (525) That wyst he wel an inpossible were. c1440 J. Capgrave Life St. Katherine iv. 662 Your secte..May not stande..Right for þe impossibles whiche þer-inne ȝe hepe. 1472 J. Paston in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) I. 577 Your desyer..was an impossybyl to be browhgt a-bowght. 1532 (c1385) Usk's Test. Loue in Wks. G. Chaucer ii. f. cccxl If I graunt contradyction, I shulde graunte an impossyble. 1678 R. Cudworth True Intellect. Syst. Universe i. ii. 63 A Bundle of Incomprehensibles, Unconceivables, and Impossibles. 1789 T. Taylor tr. Proclus Philos. & Math. Comm. II. 6 The nature of an impossible becomes known from the seventh [theorem]. 1866 D. M. Mulock Christian's Mistake 130 Heaven sometimes converts our impossibles and inevitables into the very best blessings we have. 2. With definite article: that which is or seems impossible. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > impossibility > [noun] > instance(s) of impossiblec1374 impossibilityc1500 cannot1626 adynaton1654 impossible1839 blue dahlia1880 1839 P. J. Bailey Festus 266 He only holds Perfections, which are but the impossible To other beings. 1895 Countess Martinengo-Cesaresco Liberation of Italy xix. 394 Garibaldi..had always demanded the impossible of his men. 1904 Daily Chron. 6 May 7/5 The history of Christianity..had been a triumph of the impossible. 1916 J. Huneker Ivory, Apes & Peacocks 34 All three were consumptives..; all three suffered from the nostalgia of the impossible. a1930 F. Nansen in Penguin Dict. Mod. Quots. (1971) 166/2 The difficult is what takes a little time; the impossible is what takes a little longer. 1972 Pacifist Nov. 3/1 Remember the Festival motto:—be realistic—demand the impossible. Compounds impossible-looking adj. ΚΠ a1871 T. Carlyle in J. W. Carlyle Lett. & Memorials (1883) I. 13 Certainly the impossiblest-looking literary problem I ever had. 1898 Westm. Gaz. 31 Mar. This impossible-looking constituency. Draft additions June 2014 impossible dream n. a highly desirable yet seemingly unattainable goal or ambition.In later use popularized by the song The Impossible Dream (1965) (from the musical Man of La Mancha): see to dream the impossible dream at dream v.² Phrases 2. ΚΠ 1847 Liberator 23 July 120/4 It seems..desirable..that it [sc. the female character] should be felt in..great national concerns... This would have been an impossible dream, but in these advanced times [etc.]. 1855 Musical World 30 June 413/1 What an impossible dream is this Utopia of ‘the Future’. 1926 Manch. Guardian 19 Aug. 6/7 That superlatively perfect system where every individual will get automatically just what he earns, no more and no less, is the impossible dream of the Socialist. 1988 New Scientist 1 Sept. 47 (heading) Star wars: the impossible dream. Five years ago, Ronald Reagan astonished the world with his vision of a giant shield in space. 2004 N.Y. Times Bk. Rev. 25 July 12/3 A true global democracy, in which all of the earth's billions of people actually vote, is an impossible dream. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1899; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < adj.n.1340
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