different between impossible vs infeasible

English

Alternative forms

• inpossible (obsolete)

Etymology

From Old French impossible, from Latin impossibilis, from in- (“not”) + possibilis (“possible”), from possum (“to be able”) + suffix -ibilis (“-able”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?m?p?s.?.b?l/, /?m?p?s.?.b?l/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?m?p?.s?bl/
• Hyphenation: im?pos?si?ble

Adjective

impossible (comparative more impossible, superlative most impossible)

1. Not possible; not able to be done or happen.
   • 1610-11?, Shakespeare, The Tempest, Act II, scene i:

     Antonio: What impossible matter will he make easy next?

     Sebastian: I think he will carry this island home in his pocket and give it his son for an apple.

     Antonio : And sowing the kernels of it in the sea bring forth more islands.

   • 1865, Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

     Nothing is impossible, only impassible.

   • 13 March 1962, John F. Kennedy

     Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.

2. (colloquial, of a person) Very difficult to deal with.

3. (mathematics, dated) imaginary

Synonyms

• unpossible (rare)

Antonyms

• (not able to be done or happen): possible, inevitable

Derived terms

• impossibility
• impossibly
• mission impossible

Translations

Noun

impossible (plural impossibles)

1. (obsolete) an impossibility
   • Late 14th century: “Madame,” quod he, “this were an impossible!” — Geoffrey Chaucer, ‘The Franklin's Tale’, Canterbury Tales

Translations

Catalan

Etymology

From Latin impossibilis, equivalent to in- +? possible.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Central) IPA^(key): /im.pu?si.bl?/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /im.po?si.ble/

Adjective

impossible (masculine and feminine plural impossibles)

1. impossible

   Antonym: possible

Derived terms

• impossiblement

Related terms

• impossibilitat

Further reading

• “impossible” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “impossible” in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana.
• “impossible” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “impossible” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

French

Etymology

From im- +? possible.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??.p?.sibl/

Adjective

impossible (plural impossibles)

1. impossible

Derived terms

• à cœur vaillant rien d'impossible
• à l'impossible nul n'est tenu
• impossible n'est pas français
• impossiblement

Further reading

• “impossible” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Middle French

Adjective

impossible m or f (plural impossibles)

1. impossible

English

Etymology

From in- +? feasible. Cognate to French infaisable.

Adjective

infeasible (comparative more infeasible, superlative most infeasible)

1. not feasible

   Antonym: feasible

Usage notes

Usage varies between infeasible, unfeasible, and “not feasible” – all are synonymous, but usage varies regionally and over time, and unfamiliar usage is often jarring or sounds wrong. Today infeasible is somewhat more common in American usage, though traditionally unfeasible was more common, being surpassed by infeasible in the late 1970s (in both America and Britain). Of these, infeasible is etymologically pure – formed of French/Latin roots – and cognate to French infaisable, while unfeasible is hybrid, combining Germanic un- with Latinate feasible.

Derived terms

Translations

References