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  1. impossible love

Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. adj. Incapable of having existence or of occurring.
  2. adj. Not capable of being accomplished: an impossible goal.
  3. adj. Unacceptable; intolerable: impossible behavior.
  4. adj. Extremely difficult to deal with or tolerate: an impossible child; an impossible situation.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. Not possible; non-existent or false by necessity. Beyond the strength or power of the agent.
  2. In law, in a stricter sense, prevented only by the act of God or a public enemy. Whatever a person binds himself by contract to do, if not absurd, is not regarded as impossible in this sense, if it might be accomplished by human means, these obstacles only excepted; and his practical inability is not deemed to render performance impossible.
  3. Excessively odd; not to have been imagined; such as would not have been thought possible: as, she is a most impossible person; he wears an impossible hat.
  4. n. An impossibility.

Wiktionary

  1. adj. Not possible, not able to be done.
  2. adj. colloquial, of a person Very difficult to deal with.
  3. n. an impossibility
  4. n. uncountable (with definite article) that which seems impossible

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. adj. Not possible; incapable of being done, of existing, etc.; unattainable in the nature of things, or by means at command; insuperably difficult under the circumstances; absurd or impracticable; not feasible.
  2. n. obsolete An impossibility.

WordNet 3.0

  1. n. something that cannot be done
  2. adj. not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with
  3. adj. used of persons or their behavior
  4. adj. totally unlikely

Etymologies

  1. From French impossible, from Latin impossibilis, from in- ("not") + possibilis ("possible"), from possum ("to be able") + suffix -ibilis ("-able"). (Wiktionary)
  2. Middle English, from Old French, from Latin impossibilis : in-, not; see in-1 + possibilis, possible; see possible. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

Examples

  • “Don't you realize that it's impossible -- _impossible_ for us to remain here?”

    The Hermit of Far End

  • “As it was impossible they should know the words, thoughts and secret actions of all men, so it was _more impossible_ they should pass judgment on them according to these things.”

    How to Speak and Write Correctly

  • “You can't make me believe _that_ -- it's rubbish -- like the mango tree and rope trick -- it's impossible, simply _impossible_ to make strong-minded, level-headed people do things against their will.”

    Leonie of the Jungle

  • ““And after three years of secrecy and exasperation, I found that to complete it was impossible, —impossible.”

    Certain First Principles

  • “God, have rendered that relief physically impossible; and yet he would abrogate the poor-laws by an act of the legislature, in order to take away that _impossible_ relief, which the laws of God deny, and which the laws of man _actually_ afford.”

    The Spirit of the Age Contemporary Portraits

  • “It cannot be -- it is impossible, _impossible_ that you desert a beautiful and good wife who expects your child.”

    The Nest Builder

  • “And, yes, we use the term impossible in its most technical sense.”

    Common_Cents’s blog - RedState

  • “She held her gaze on Helen, never blinking, her expression impossible to read.”

    Simon & Schuster: The Glass Rainbow

  • “She was staring straight ahead, her expression impossible to read.”

    Simon & Schuster: Perfect You

  • “So it came as a great surprise to the entire financial community when he came out, gave the classic Steve Jobs 'finger to the term impossible (the reason everyone loves him), and called it the iPhone - I'm sure he told his lawyers to make it happen.”

    Daring Fireball

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‘impossible’ has been looked up 3829 times, loved by 1 person, added to 15 lists, commented on 7 times, and has a Scrabble score of 16.