What does impossibility mean?
Impossibility is the condition of something being unable to happen, occur, or be accomplished. It is stronger than difficulty and usually suggests that the proposed outcome is excluded in principle rather than merely unlikely or hard to achieve. The noun can describe a general condition, as in “the impossibility of time travel,” or an individual outcome or task, as in “the project’s financial impossibility.” In formal writing, “the impossibility of” is a common construction, especially in discussions of philosophy, law, mathematics, and ethics. Although impossibility can sound absolute, it is sometimes used conversationally as a dramatic way to describe an exceptionally difficult situation. As a countable noun, its plural is “impossibilities,” though the singular form is much more common.
The condition of being impossible or of being unable to happen or be done.
"The impossibility of rearranging the entire system without interrupting service was demonstrated during the test."
This is the standard and most common sense.
An event, outcome, or thing that cannot exist or occur.
"The novel asks readers to accept several impossibilities within its invented world."
This countable sense is less frequent than the abstract condition expressed by the first sense.
The plural is used for distinct outcomes or things that are impossible; the uncountable use, as in “a sense of impossibility,” is more common.
"The story explores the emotional consequences of personal impossibilities."
An impossibility is not merely a difficult challenge: it is a boundary beyond which the proposed action or event cannot go.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does impossibility come from?
Impossibility comes from the adjective impossible, formed from the Latin prefix im-, meaning “not,” and the Latin possibilis, meaning “able to be done.” The noun entered English in the early 17th century, following the development of English forms such as possible and possibility. It shares its root with probable, probability, and possibly, all of which concern the likelihood or possibility of an outcome.
How impossibility is actually used
The word is formal in tone and commonly conveys that an outcome or task is impossible in principle, though it is sometimes used rhetorically to emphasize severe difficulty. In everyday use, it can suggest hopelessness or frustration.
Easily confused with impossibility
Impossibility means that something cannot happen or be done, whereas improbability means that it is unlikely to happen but remains possible.