What does imperviousness mean?
Imperviousness is the noun form of 'impervious' and means the condition of being unaffected by outside pressures. It can describe resistance to physical forces, such as heat, water, or injury, and can also describe an emotional or social state in which criticism, provocation, or other people's concerns have little effect. The word is formal and often suggests composure or strength, but it can carry a negative implication when it describes someone who seems indifferent to harm, criticism, or the feelings of others. It is especially useful when a writer wants to name the quality or condition rather than simply say that someone or something is difficult to affect. The related adjective 'impervious' is much more common in modern usage.
nounThe state or quality of being impervious, especially of being unaffected by physical influence, emotional pressure, criticism, or other external conditions. It can also refer to a lack of concern for the feelings or interests of others.
- The state of being unaffected or resistant to physical influence, injury, pain, or other external conditions.
- A lack of emotional responsiveness or concern, especially an unwillingness to be affected by criticism or the feelings of others.
"Her calm in the face of provocation revealed a remarkable imperviousness to criticism."
"The barrier's imperviousness to heat made it suitable for protecting the delicate instruments."
"His imperviousness to the team's concerns made the discussion unusually tense."
The plural is grammatically possible but rare; 'degrees of imperviousness' or 'a sense of imperviousness' is usually more natural.
"The study compared the children's different imperviousnesses to social pressure."
Imperviousness is the quality of being like water-repellent fabric: external pressures may strike, but they do not get through.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does imperviousness come from?
The word was formed in English by adding the suffix '-ness' to 'impervious'. 'Impervious' comes through French from Latin 'impervius', formed from the prefix 'im-' and 'pervius', meaning 'not passable through' or 'unable to be penetrated'. The underlying idea is therefore that a surface or person cannot be affected by something from outside.
Related word forms
How imperviousness is actually used
The word is formal and often has a slightly disapproving tone when describing emotional or social insensitivity. It is less common in everyday speech than the adjective 'impervious'.
Easily confused with imperviousness
Imperviousness emphasizes being unaffected by outside forces or pressures, whereas insensitivity more often describes a lack of awareness of or consideration for others' feelings.
Immunity usually refers specifically to protection from disease or biological harm, while imperviousness can apply to emotional, social, or intellectual resistance as well.