1
as in dense
impossible to get through or into
the ancient temple was surrounded by vast stretches of impenetrable jungle
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in mysterious
being beyond one's powers to know, understand, or explain
the mysteries of that religion are completely impenetrable to outsiders
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3
as in incomprehensible
impossible to understand
the textbook's language is completely impenetrable, at least to me
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4
as in tight
not allowing penetration (as by gas, liquid, or light)
the container of toxic waste has an impenetrable seal to prevent leaks
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of impenetrable
This sweetly reticent follow-up is a drama about the impenetrable singularity of a young girl’s mind.
—
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 26 May 2025
Things only get less interesting as that love triangles widens into an awkward kind of square, the chiaroscuro splendor of Soderbergh’s cinematography laboring to compensate for a murder-mystery that’s as scattered and impenetrable as Berlin itself.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 14 Mar. 2025
Cybersecurity strategy has undergone a fundamental shift—from aspiring to build impenetrable defenses to accepting that breaches are inevitable.
—Tony Bradley, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025
But in person, nothing about her seems impenetrable.
—Thania Garcia, Variety, 9 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for impenetrable
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 26 May 2025
Things only get less interesting as that love triangles widens into an awkward kind of square, the chiaroscuro splendor of Soderbergh’s cinematography laboring to compensate for a murder-mystery that’s as scattered and impenetrable as Berlin itself.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 14 Mar. 2025
Cybersecurity strategy has undergone a fundamental shift—from aspiring to build impenetrable defenses to accepting that breaches are inevitable.
—Tony Bradley, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025
But in person, nothing about her seems impenetrable.
—Thania Garcia, Variety, 9 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for impenetrable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impenetrable
Adjective
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Editor’s picks The world itself is lively, if not exactly dense.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
6 June 2025
-
In Puerto Rico earlier in the week, the cloud was dense and caused hazy skies, according to the National Weather Service in San Juan.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
5 June 2025
Adjective
-
Four thousand years ago, however, Crete was also a crossroads dominated by a mysterious and largely still poorly understood Bronze Age culture that predated classical Greece.—
Bruce Dorminey,
Forbes.com,
7 June 2025
-
The movie is led by Tom Hiddleston as the titular, mysterious Chuck Krantz, with a supporting cast that includes Mark Hamill, Mia Sara, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan, Matthew Lillard, Annalise Basso and Kate Siegel.—
Jen Juneau,
People.com,
6 June 2025
Adjective
-
What was over the hill was unknown and what went on behind a nation's borders was incomprehensible.—
David Szondy
May 31,
New Atlas,
31 May 2025
-
How he was even charged as a result of this situation is incomprehensible.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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The realization was emotional as the two had developed a tight bond.—
Angela Andaloro,
People.com,
3 June 2025
-
For wineries accustomed to tight quality control, the conditions are difficult to navigate.—
Rachel King,
Forbes.com,
3 June 2025
Adjective
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These include the claim that children are virtually impervious to COVID, which has been refuted by the injury and death toll among children.—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
5 June 2025
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First, the team looked at the microbiomes of corals that are impervious to SCTLD to try and harvest probiotics from these disease-resistant species.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
5 June 2025
Adjective
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Gad teased work on the project in 2024 with a cryptic Instagram post that blocked out certain sections on the script’s cover page.—
Pamela McClintock,
HollywoodReporter,
12 June 2025
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This Instagram comment comes amid a series of cryptic social media posts shared by Bieber and growing concerns for him.—
Charna Flam,
People.com,
12 June 2025
Adjective
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In a life-or-death emergency, voice signals might fade or be unintelligible; Morse code could punch through static and bad weather.—
Laurie Gwen Shapiro,
New Yorker,
2 June 2025
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Decisions once made by human engineers in the future are now being executed by models whose internal logic may be unintelligible even to their creators.—
Anuj Tyagi,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2025
Adjective
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In her papers, there were thick scrapbooks of Christmas cards, many from fellow-celebrities—Berg clearly adored Christmas.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
9 June 2025
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Jane is heard asking the male escort to wear a condom, but is interrupted by Combs, whose voice appears thick and slurred, as music pulsed in the background.—
Cheyenne Roundtree,
Rolling Stone,
8 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Impenetrable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impenetrable. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.
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