insurmountable

CEFRC1

/ˌɪnsəˈrmaʊntəbəl/

adjective

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    adjective

    So difficult that it cannot be overcome.

  2. 02

    adjective

    Extra detail

    Incapable of being passed over, surmounted, or overcome; insuperable

Examples

  • A difficulty is a light. An insurmountable difficulty is a sun.

  • The odds were seemingly insurmountable but he overcame them to win the presidency.

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
2
Parts of speech
1
Citations
1

Deep Dive

More examples

In context

  • Getting everybody to agree proved to be an insurmountable difficulty.

  • No problem is insurmountable.

  • Overcoming Japan’s demographic crisis has proved insurmountable for occupants of the Kantei – the prime minister’s office – long before Kishida moved in last autumn.

Antonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The team faced a major blank obstacle that they simply could not overcome at all.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

adjective

From in- + surmountable.