Insurmountable: meaning, example and synonyms

Insurmountableadj. Too great to be overcome.

Flashcard for Insurmountable (adjective): too great to be overcome. Example: What once seemed an insurmountable barrier, the cost of sequencing a genome, has fallen so sharply that the test is now routine in many clinics. Synonyms: insuperable, overwhelming, impassable, unbeatable. Antonyms: surmountable, manageable, achievable, beatable. Memory tip: in- ("not") + surmount ("climb over"): a peak you can't climb. Illustration: a tiny climber at the foot of a sheer, impossibly tall cliff that disappears into the clouds.

Example

What once seemed an insurmountable barrier, the cost of sequencing a genome, has fallen so sharply that the test is now routine in many clinics.

Part of speech
adjective
Synonyms
insuperable, overwhelming, impassable, unbeatable
Antonyms
surmountable, manageable, achievable, beatable
Memory tip
in- ("not") + surmount ("climb over"): a peak you can't climb.

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Check yourself: Insurmountable in context

Pick the word that best completes each text, as on the SAT's words-in-context questions.

Question 1

The team's lead in the final minutes seemed ______, yet their opponents scored three times to win the match.

Question 2

Language barriers once seemed ______ to the village's new arrivals, but within a year many of them were teaching classes in their adopted tongue.

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