able to be done, achieved, or to happen
Is it possible to climb the mountain in one day?
We took the fastest possible route to the hospital.
something that can be chosen, done, or achieved among several options
A third possible is to postpone the trip until summer.
The detective examined every possible before making an arrest.
not able to happen, exist, or be done
It seemed impossible to finish the puzzle, but Maya kept trying.
Climbing the sheer cliff without ropes is impossible for most people.
✦ Late Middle English, from Latin impossibilis, from in- ‘not’ + possibilis ‘able to be done’.
something that cannot happen or be achieved
Inventing a machine that stops time is an impossible we still dream about.
She enjoys turning impossibles into reality through science.
✦ Derived from the adjective use; first recorded as a noun in the 17th century.
in a way or to a degree that is not possible.
Climbing that cliff without ropes is impossibly dangerous.
The locked safe was impossibly heavy to move by hand.
✦ From late Middle English impossibil + -ly, from Old French impossible, from Latin impossibilis ("impossible"), equivalent to in- + possible.
