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- Dictionaryimpossible/ɪmˈpɒsɪbl/
adjective
- 1. not able to occur, exist, or be done: "a seemingly impossible task" Similar Opposite
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1. This is an important distinction that hasn't been mentioned. "not possible" usually means "not possible at this moment" but not necessarily "never has and never will be possible", which is closer to "impossible". Examples: It's impossible for pigs to fly. It is not possible to change flights without incurring a fee.
Impossible, unrealistic, unattainable, unachievable, quixotic, dreamy, empty, even as a non-native English speaker, I can think up many analogues. Just for your fun, we call unrealistic story / plan “a story like a dream,’ 'a cake drawn in the picture (that you can not eat) - 画餅', and ‘castle in the air –空中楼閣', or 'castle on the sand -砂上の楼閣' as well in Japanese.
Dec 22, 2012 · It is the macroevolutionary ideas, new species evolving from a variety of species, that remains a mystery, and for most considered implausible and impossible. ( See .) But considering that the Broncos won seven of their games this season by a total of 25 points and lost four by 105, victory over the Steelers will be mission implausible, but not impossible.
Jul 24, 2017 · I'm currently writing an academic report and I began to write out the phrase 'nigh-on-impossible' without a second thought. It then occurred to me that this phrase may actually be slang. I did a quick Google search and someone on Yahoo answers stated: Nigh is the Old English word for "near". The phrase means "nearly impossible".
Dec 8, 2015 · It appears that unpossible has always been a less common variant: Unpossible: (Etymology) from Middle English unpossible, equivalent to un- (“not”) + possible. (now rare, nonstandard) Impossible. And this is the. vj. moneth to her, which was called barren, for with god shall nothinge be unpossible.
Aug 31, 2012 · Practically impossible - The connotation that it is "impractical" (not worth the cost) to plan for it to happen. Doesn't mean it can't, but the odds are so slim the costs and benefits of expecting it aren't worth it. Nearly impossible - "Nearly" is a synonym and possible definition of "virtually".
Nov 9, 2014 · Learn the difference between "unfeasible" and "infeasible" on this English language discussion forum.
Apr 1, 2015 · 6. Panacea: an answer or solution for all problems or difficulties. There is also the connotation that there is no such thing as a panacea, because such an all-encompassing solution would be impossible. Share. Improve this answer.
Jul 4, 2013 · So: Yes, it does mean "prevent", but the word is used in a slightly different way. Yes, it does mean "exclude", but "exclude" does not carry the implication of cause and effect. I'm still not satisfied on the distinction between "prevent" and "preclude". The examples given here could all use "prevent" instead and they'd mean the same thing.
70. Here's two ways I've seen the "all, but" idiom used: "Close all tabs but this one" (Any modern application with a number of tabs might have this as an option.) It means "close all the tabs, but not this one". "With that goal, the championship is all but decided". This seems to mean "you can say/do whatever (all) you want, (but) it won't ...