impossibility

[ im-pos-uh-bil-i-tee, im-pos- ]

noun

, plural im·pos·si·bil·i·ties

1. condition or quality of being impossible.
2. something impossible.

impossibility

/ ɪmˌpɒsəˈbɪlɪtɪ; ˌɪmpɒs- /

noun

1. the state or quality of being impossible
2. something that is impossible

Word History and Origins

Origin of impossibility¹

1350–1400; Middle English impossibilite < Late Latin impossibilitās. See im- ², possibility

Example Sentences

Following that accident, this moment in Paris must have seemed an impossibility.

From BBC

The pair stands inches apart but the lighting, airy atmosphere and the weight of their suppressed affection turn that length into miles of impossibility.

From Salon

“The idea that you could get so many countries to agree about something as complex as legally binding emissions targets was fascinating to us,” he added: “The impossibility of it.”

From New York Times

“Builds into a moving, comic meditation on the impossibility of imposing narrative structure on our lives. … A wise and piercing book.”

From New York Times

Is this foolishness, an impossibility given the metastasizing violence?

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• futility