impenetrable en · ADJ
Pronunciation
Etymology
From Middle English inpenetrabel, inpenetrabyle, from Middle French impenetrable or directly from its etymon, Latin impenetrābilis. By surface analysis, im- + penetrable.
Meanings
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(not-comparable) Not penetrable.
The avalanche spread and stopped, locking everything it carried into an icy cocoon. It was now a jagged, virtually impenetrable pile of ice, longer than a football field and nearly as wide.
2012, John Branch, “Snow fall: The avalanche at Tunnel Creek”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 11 Jun 2024:The fortress is impenetrable, so it cannot be taken.
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(not-comparable) Opaque; obscure; not translucent or transparent.
When night falls, she cloaks the world in impenetrable darkness.
1991, Varg Vikernes, “Dunkelheit”, performed by Burzum:
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(figuratively, not-comparable) Incomprehensible; fathomless; inscrutable.
Business jargon makes this document impenetrable—I can’t understand it.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| inpenetrable | alternative | lexicographic |
Antonyms
illuminable · explicatable · lucid · fathomable · explainable · apprehensible · clear · limpid · comprehensible · intelligible · graspable · pellucid · straightforward · perspicuous · tangible · fathomable · explicable · penetrable · understandable · permeable · pregnable
Deriveds
impenetrableness · impenetrably
Synonyms
impenetrable · impregnable · incognizable · ununderstandable · inenubilable · inscrutable · unknowable · inexplicable · fathomless · thick · Chinese · tenebrose · abstruse · ungraspable · unfathomable · retruse · unexplainable · obscure · ineffable · insoluble · undiscoverable · unfathomable · bottomless · insolvable · unintelligible · incomprehensible · inapprehensible · impermeable · mysterious · dense · Greek · undecipherable · enigmatic · nonunderstandable · insensible
Translations (34)
la impenetrābilis (not penetrable) · fi läpitunkematon (not penetrable) · fr impénétrable (not penetrable) · ca impenetrable (not penetrable) · nn ugjennomtrengeleg (not penetrable) · uk непробивни́й (not penetrable) · ru непроница́емый (not penetrable) · hi अभेद्य (not penetrable) · cs nedobytný (not penetrable) · pt impenetrável (not penetrable) · cmn 难以理解的 (incomprehensible; inscrutable) · ru непроходи́мый (not penetrable) · nl onpeilbaar (not penetrable) · bg неразбираем (incomprehensible; inscrutable) · nl ondoordringbaar (not penetrable) · cmn 不能渗透的 (not penetrable) · bg непроницаем (not penetrable) · cs neproniknutelný (not penetrable) · ca impenetrable (incomprehensible; inscrutable) · nb ugjennomtrengelig (not penetrable) · ro de nestrăpuns (not penetrable) · el αδιαπέραστος (not penetrable) · ro impenetrabil (not penetrable) · nn ugjennomtrengjeleg (not penetrable) · uk непроникни́й (not penetrable) · la invius (not penetrable) · nl onbegrijpelijk (incomprehensible; inscrutable) · cmn 费解的 (incomprehensible; inscrutable) · es impenetrable (not penetrable) · cs nesrozumitelný (incomprehensible; inscrutable) · ro de nepătruns (not penetrable) · bg непроходим (not penetrable) · cmn 不能通过的 (not penetrable) · de undurchlässig (not penetrable)