impervious

[ im-pur-vee-uhs ]

adjective

1. not permitting penetration or passage; impenetrable:

   The coat is impervious to rain.

2. incapable of being injured or impaired:

   impervious to wear and tear.

3. incapable of being influenced, persuaded, or affected:

   impervious to reason; impervious to another's suffering.

   Synonyms: closed, invulnerable

impervious

/ ɪmˈpɜːvɪəs /

adjective

1. not able to be penetrated, as by water, light, etc; impermeable
2. often postpositivefoll byto not able to be influenced (by) or not receptive (to)

   impervious to argument

Derived Forms

• imˈperviously, adverb
• imˈperviousness, noun

Other Words From

• im·pervi·ous·ly adverb
• im·pervi·ous·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of impervious¹

From the Latin word impervius, dating back to 1640–50. See im- ², pervious

Example Sentences

Not unlike the man who would later offer him a Cabinet position, the candidate seemed impervious to criticism, positioning himself as someone who was delivering inconvenient truths to an unyielding establishment.

From Los Angeles Times

“We have to have a larger portion of our groundwater recharge coming from managing rainwater, in getting rid of impervious surfaces and letting it infiltrate,” Winter said.

From Los Angeles Times

Existing regulations, it says, are “ineffective, costly, opaque, and largely impervious to reform.”

From Los Angeles Times

Providence’s alleged actions suggest that state laws protecting abortion rights are not impervious — and that would especially be so if Republicans regain the White House and control of Congress in the coming election.

From Los Angeles Times

Prinzhorn suggested that audiences responded to Hitler’s rhetorical devices — volume, rhythm, modulation, repetition — emotionally rather than rationally, which rendered him impervious to attack by political opponents.

From Salon

Related Words

• immune
• impassable
• impenetrable
• inaccessible
• invulnerable
• resistant
• unaffected
• unmoved