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impracticably

 - 4 dictionary results

im⋅prac⋅ti⋅ca⋅ble

[im-prak-ti-kuh-buhl]
–adjective
1. not practicable; incapable of being put into practice with the available means: an impracticable plan.
2. unsuitable for practical use or purposes, as a device or material.
3. (of ground, places, etc.) impassable.
4. (of persons) hard to deal with because of stubbornness, stupidity, etc.

Origin:
1645–55; im- 2 + practicable


im⋅prac⋅ti⋅ca⋅bil⋅i⋅ty, im⋅prac⋅ti⋅ca⋅ble⋅ness, noun
im⋅prac⋅ti⋅ca⋅bly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To impracticably
im·prac·ti·ca·ble   (ĭm-prāk'tĭ-kə-bəl)   
adj.  
  1. Impossible to do or carry out: Refloating the sunken ship intact proved impracticable because of its fragility.

  2. Unfit for passage: roads impracticable in winter.

  3. Archaic Unmanageable; intractable.

im·prac'ti·ca·bil'i·ty, im·prac'ti·ca·ble·ness n., im·prac'ti·ca·bly adv.
Usage Note: The adjective impracticable applies to a course of action that is impossible to carry out or put into practice; impractical, though it can be used in this way, also can be weaker in sense, suggesting that the course of action would yield an insufficient return or would have little practical value. A plan for a new stadium may be rejected as impracticable if the site is too marshy to permit safe construction, but if the objection is that the site is too remote for patrons to attend games easily, the plan is better described as impractical. See Usage Note at practicable.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

impracticable 
1677, from in- "not" + practicable. "Incapable of being done." Impractical, in the same sense, dates from 1865.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: im·prac·ti·ca·ble
Pronunciation: im-'prak-ti-k&-b&l
Function: adjective
: excessively difficult to perform esp. by reason of an unforeseen contingency impracticable by the new regulation>
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