Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Impossible to overcome; insurmountable.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Not superable; incapable of being passed over, overcome, or surmounted.
- Synonyms Insurmountable, impassable, unconquerable, invincible.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Incapable of being passed over or surmounted; insurmountable.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective
Impossible toachieve orovercome or benegotiated . - adjective
Overwhelming orinsurmountable .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective incapable of being surmounted or excelled
- adjective impossible to surmount
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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He recalled the insuperable aversion the old man had ever entertained to approach of even make mention of the spot, and greatly did he blame himself for having persisted in offering a violence to his nature, the extent of which had been made so fearfully obvious.
The Canadian Brothers, or the Prophecy Fulfilled a Tale of the Late American War — Volume 2 John Richardson 1824
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He recalled the insuperable aversion the old man had ever entertained to approach of even make mention of the spot, and greatly did he blame himself for having persisted in offering a violence to his nature, the extent of which had been made so fearfully obvious.
The Canadian Brothers, or the Prophecy Fulfilled a Tale of the Late American War — Complete John Richardson 1824
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Do you happen to think of any more 'insuperable' obstacles, my dear sir? "
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This inability closes his mind to a great part of the debate, and so makes his atheist faith insuperable for as long as he himself chooses to accept it.
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I would hope so, but Robert Bryce argues carbon capture has substantial — perhaps insuperable — economic obstacles to overcome.
The Volokh Conspiracy » Is Carbon Capture a Pipe Dream? 2010
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But we also know that unity can be and has been attained among men of the most disparate origins, that differences of race, of religion, of culture, of tradition, are no insuperable obstacle to the coming together of peoples.
Alemayehu G. Mariam: Referendum for Sudan, Requiem for Africa Alemayehu G. Mariam 2011
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I left the house, the horrid scene of the last night's contention, and walked on the beach of the sea, which I almost regarded as an insuperable barrier between me and my fellow-creatures; nay, a wish that such should prove the fact stole across me.
Chapter 20 2010
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The statement confirmed something that many Mideast watchers have suspected for a long time: that the settlement impasse originated not with Netanyahu or Abbas, but with Obama -- who by insisting on an Israeli freeze has created a near-insuperable obstacle to the peace process he is trying to promote.
How Obama sabotaged Middle East peace talks Jackson Diehl 2010
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If persistence, talent, and dogged hard work in the face of nearly insuperable obstacles qualifies one for stardom, these students get billing above the title.
Neil Zevnik: Rolling Out the Red Carpet: A Different Hollywood Tale Neil Zevnik 2011
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If persistence, talent, and dogged hard work in the face of nearly insuperable obstacles qualifies one for stardom, these students get billing above the title.
Neil Zevnik: Rolling Out the Red Carpet: A Different Hollywood Tale Neil Zevnik 2011
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