Impracticable

adj, noun

adj, noun ·5 syllables ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    an unmanageable person obsolete

    "They were not allowed, of course, to join us in the sitting room, partly that their practice might not be disturbed, but principally, that I was looked upon as an utter impracticable."

Adjective
  1. 1
    Not practicable; impossible or difficult in practice.

    "It has not been used for many years, and although it was impracticable to photograph the engine in the small confines of the shed it was possible to obtain a picture of the plate which it still carries showing the former ownership."

  2. 2
    impassable (of a passage or road)
  3. 3
    unmanageable obsolete

    "And yet this tough impracticable heart / Is govern'd by a dainty-finger'd girl ; […]"

Adjective
  1. 1
    not capable of being carried out or put into practice wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
impossibleawkwardbeyond onecrazydisadvantageoushopeless

Example

More examples

"At one time it was thought impracticable for man to fly."

Etymology

From im- + practicable.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.