impenetrable

See also: impénétrable

English

Alternative forms

• (misspelling) inpenetrable

Etymology

From Middle English inpenetrabel, inpenetrabyle, from Middle French impenetrable or directly from its etymon, Latin impenetrābilis.^[1]

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɪmˈpɛnətɹəbəl/, /ɪmˈpɛnɪtɹəbəl/

  • Audio (Southern England):

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  • Audio (UK):

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• Hyphenation: im‧pen‧e‧tra‧ble

Adjective

impenetrable (not comparable)

1. Not penetrable.

   Synonyms: impermeable, impregnable

   Antonyms: penetrable, permeable, pregnable

   The fortress is impenetrable, so it cannot be taken.

   • 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 2024-06-11:

     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.

2. Opaque; obscure; not translucent or transparent.

   When night falls, she cloaks the world in impenetrable darkness.

3. (figuratively) Incomprehensible; fathomless; inscrutable.

   Synonyms: unfathomable; see also Thesaurus:incomprehensible

   Antonyms: fathomable; see also Thesaurus:comprehensible

   Business jargon makes this document impenetrable—I can’t understand it.

Translations

not penetrable

Czech: neproniknutelný Dutch: ondoordringbaar (nl), onpeilbaar (nl) Finnish: läpitunkematon

Noun

impenetrable (plural impenetrables)

1. A person not openly given to friendship. (clarification of this definition is needed)
   • 1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “Chapter XXVI. Lady Marchmont to Sir Jasper Meredith.”, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 236:

     I should lose the reputation that I am gradually acquiring among our impenetrables here, were I to confess the excitement which I felt at the idea of entering his house—the house of that great general under whose command you made your first charge.

Translations

not penetrable

Bulgarian: непроницаем (bg) (nepronicaem), непроходим (bg) (neprohodim) Catalan: impenetrable Chinese: Mandarin: 不能通过的, 不能渗透的 Czech: neproniknutelný, nedobytný (cs) Dutch: ondoordringbaar (nl) Finnish: läpitunkematon French: impénétrable (fr) German: undurchlässig (de) Greek: αδιαπέραστος (el) (adiapérastos) Latin: impenetrābilis, invius Norwegian: Bokmål: ugjennomtrengelig Nynorsk: ugjennomtrengeleg, ugjennomtrengjeleg Portuguese: impenetrável (pt) Romanian: impenetrabil (ro), de nepătruns, de nestrăpuns Russian: (impermeable) непроница́емый (ru) (nepronicájemyj), непроходи́мый (ru) (neproxodímyj) Spanish: impenetrable Ukrainian: непроникний (nepronyknyj)

incomprehensible; inscrutable

Bulgarian: неразбираем (bg) (nerazbiraem) Catalan: impenetrable Chinese: Mandarin: 难以理解的, 费解的 Czech: nesrozumitelný (cs) Dutch: onbegrijpelijk (nl)

References

1. Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “impenetrable (adj.)”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Catalan

Etymology

From Latin impenetrābilis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [im.pə.nəˈtɾab.blə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [im.pe.neˈtɾa.ble]

Adjective

impenetrable m or f (masculine and feminine plural impenetrables)

1. impenetrable

Further reading

• “impenetrable” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “impenetrable”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024
• “impenetrable” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “impenetrable” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Spanish

Etymology

From Latin impenetrābilis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /impeneˈtɾable/ [ĩm.pe.neˈt̪ɾa.β̞le]
• Rhymes: -able
• Syllabification: im‧pe‧ne‧tra‧ble

Adjective

impenetrable m or f (masculine and feminine plural impenetrables)

1. impenetrable
   • 1867, Cesare Cantù, Historia universal, 8, page 118:

     como una muralla impenetrable

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Derived terms

• impenetrabilidad

 

Further reading

• “impenetrable”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10