insurmountable definition | Dictionary.com

Synonyms

impassable, hopeless, impossible, insuperable, invincible, overwhelming, impregnable, inaccessible, indomitable, ineluctable, unbeatable, unconquerable

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insurmountable - 5 dictionary results

in⋅sur⋅mount⋅a⋅ble

[in-ser-moun-tuh-buh

–adjective

incapable of being surmounted, passed over, or overcome; insuperable: an insurmountable obstacle.

Origin:
1690–1700; in- ³ + surmountable

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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in·sur·mount·a·ble (ĭn'sər-moun'tə-bəl) Pronunciation Key
adj. Impossible to surmount; insuperable: insurmountable difficulties.

in'sur·mount'a·bil'i·ty, in'sur·mount'a·ble·ness n., in'sur·mount'a·bly adv.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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insurmountable

1696, from in- "not" + surmountable (see surmount).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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insurmountable
adjective
1.	not capable of being surmounted or overcome; "insurmountable disadvantages" [ant: surmountable]
2.	impossible to surmount [syn: insuperable]

Insurmountable

In`sur*mount"a*ble\, a. [Pref. in- not + surmountable: cf. F. insurmountable.] Incapable of being passed over, surmounted, or overcome; insuperable; as, insurmountable difficulty or obstacle. --Locke.

Hope thinks nothing difficult; despair tells us that difficulty is insurmountable. --I. Watts.

Syn: Insuperable; impassable; invincible.

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