impossibility
/ɪmˌpɒsəˈbɪləti/ (bre, ipa) · /ɪmˌpɑːsəˈbɪləti/ (ame, ipa) · /(ˌ)im-ˌpä-sə-ˈbi-lə-tē/ (ame, mw)
impossibility — 名詞
- impossibilitysingular
- impossibilitiesplural
1. The fact that something cannot exist, happen, or be done under any circumstances
不可能
無法做到的事情或無法達成的狀態
The fact that something cannot exist, happen, or be done under any circumstances; also, a specific task or situation that is not achievable no matter what approach is taken.
Dr. Caleb Okonkwo says the impossibility of reversing climate change is now widely accepted.
Caleb Okonkwo 博士表示，扭轉氣候變遷的不可能性如今已被廣泛接受。
impossibility + of [gerund] for stating something cannot be done
For Arjun and his family, buying a home in central London was a financial impossibility.
對 Arjun 和他的家人來說，在倫敦市中心買房是一件財務上不可能的事。
Crossing the Sahara desert without a vehicle was a near impossibility for the stranded travelers.
對受困的旅行者來說，沒有車輛穿越撒哈拉沙漠幾乎是不可能的事。
Mira's lawyer proved the impossibility of her being at two places at the same time.
Mira 的律師證明了她不可能同時出現在兩個地方。
Amelia explained to her classmates why squaring a circle is a mathematical impossibility.
Amelia 向同學們解釋了為什麼化圓為方在數學上是不可能的。
- impracticality
suggests something is not sensible or feasible in practice but may still be theoretically possible; weaker than impossibility
- absurdity
focuses on the idea being so unreasonable that it cannot be true, rather than being physically or logically impossible
- hopelessness
emotional tone — emphasizes the feeling of despair rather than objective impossibility
- possibility
the direct opposite — something that can happen or be done
- feasibility
practical possibility, suggesting something is achievable with reasonable effort or resources
文法句型
impossibility + of + noun/gerund
impossibility + that-clause
a/an + adjective + impossibility
用法筆記
Frequently modified by adjectives such as 'absolute', 'logical', 'physical', 'virtual', 'near', and 'mathematical'. The countable form ('an impossibility') refers to a specific impossible task or situation, while the uncountable form ('the impossibility of...') stresses the abstract state. Register is neutral to formal; common in academic writing, journalism, and everyday speech without sounding overly technical.