impassible

incapable of feeling pain; incapable of emotion: He seemed impassible in spite of the severity of his injuries.

Not to be confused with:

impassable – impossible to travel over or across: The swollen river was impassable.

im·pas·si·ble

(ĭm-păs′ə-bəl)

adj.

1. Not subject to suffering, pain, or harm.

2. Unfeeling; impassive.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Late Latin impassibilis : in-, not; see in-¹ + passibilis, passible; see passible.]

im·pas′si·bil′i·ty, im·pas′si·ble·ness n.

im·pas′si·bly adv.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

impassible

(ɪmˈpæsəbəl)

adj

1. not susceptible to pain or injury

2. impassive or unmoved

imˌpassiˈbility, imˈpassibleness n

imˈpassibly adv

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

im•pas•si•ble

(ɪmˈpæs ə bəl)

adj.

1. incapable of suffering pain.

2. incapable of suffering harm.

3. incapable of emotion; impassive.

im•pas`si•bil′i•ty, im•pas′si•ble•ness, n.

im•pas′si•bly, adv.

impassible

, impassable - Impassible is incapable of feeling or suffering; impassable is not capable of being passed.

impassible

adjective

Not capable of being affected or impressed:

impassive, insensitive, insusceptible, unimpressionable, unsusceptible.

Translations

impasible

impassibile

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

Always the same impassible member of the Reform Club, whom no incident could surprise, as unvarying as the ship's chronometers, and seldom having the curiosity even to go upon the deck, he passed through the memorable scenes of the Red Sea with cold indifference; did not care to recognise the historic towns and villages which, along its borders, raised their picturesque outlines against the sky; and betrayed no fear of the dangers of the Arabic Gulf, which the old historians always spoke of with horror, and upon which the ancient navigators never ventured without propitiating the gods by ample sacrifices.

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Ferguson, still cold and impassible, talked of this, that, and the other; but he strove in vain to overcome this infectious gloominess.

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In less than five minutes they had thus revealed to me their characters, and in less than five minutes I had buckled on a breast-plate of steely indifference, and let down a visor of impassible austerity.

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Raoul, impassible, and a little disengaged by the attention of his hosts, looked from his place through the open window at the gardens and the statues which peopled them.

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Raoul sprang towards the comte, but the latter had already overcome his emotion, and turned to the lights with a serene and impassible countenance.

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The officer looked askance at the impassible figure of his companion, and grew pale: he was an honest man as well as a brave one.

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Long queues formed back to Caernarfon, with smaller roads around the A487 left impassible due to the crash.

WOMAN CUT FREE FROM CAR AFTER CRASH WITH LORRY; POLICE APPEAL FOR DASHCAM FOOTAGE AFTER SMASH CLOSES ROAD FOR HOURS

Toujours en colere, les manifestantes s'epoumonent a tue-tete sans provoquer de casse et se donnent rendez-vous pour de longs sit-in si l'administration demeure impassible en face de leurs requetes legales.

Le calvaire des travailleuses dans le Souss - ALBAYANE

"One business can hurt all the other businesses by making them impassible," Howe said.

Require shoveled public walks? Shovel: Village would act only on complaints