impregnable

adjective

im·preg·na·ble im-ˈpreg-nə-bəl How to pronounce impregnable (audio)

: incapable of being taken by assault : unconquerable

an impregnable fortress

: unassailable

also : impenetrable

impregnable walls

impregnability

(ˌ)im-ˌpreg-nə-ˈbi-lə-tē How to pronounce impregnable (audio)

noun

impregnableness

im-ˈpreg-nə-bəl-nəs How to pronounce impregnable (audio)

noun

impregnably

im-ˈpreg-nə-blē How to pronounce impregnable (audio)

adverb

Did you know?

Impregnable is one of the many English words that bear a French ancestry, thanks to the Norman conquest of England in 1066. It derives from the Middle French verb prendre, which means "to take or capture." Combining prendre with various prefixes has given our language many other words, too, including surprise, reprise, and enterprise. Remarkably, impregnable has a different origin from the similar-looking word pregnant; that word comes from a different Latin word, praegnas, meaning "carrying a fetus."

Example Sentences

an impregnable fortress that had foiled one invader after another over the centuries the castle's supposedly impregnable walls

Recent Examples on the Web To the Ukrainian soldiers, the plant was a stronghold, surrounded on three sides by water, ringed by high walls, as seemingly impregnable as a medieval keep.

New York Times, 20 July 2022 Saturday might have seemed perfectly cloudy, with an overcast that seemed impregnable.

Martin Weil, Washington Post, 12 June 2022 Ultimately Greenwood and Hanke imagine a United States that’s an autarkic, wholly impregnable island of finance and subsequent economic activity.

John Tamny, Forbes, 17 Apr. 2022 That should strike a cautionary note in the executive suites of other companies that seem to hold impregnable positions at the summit of the business world, such as Alphabet (the parent of Google) and Amazon.

Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2022 To be sure, the economic wall around Russia is not impregnable.

Washington Post, 18 Mar. 2022 The thick-walled bunker is just one impregnable symbol of resistance and survival, shown with pride in this frigid city, which has already withstood two weeks of Russian ground attacks and sporadic rocket fire.

Scott Peterson, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Mar. 2022 Powered by these two political-economic projects, the Democratic coalition loomed across mid-century American politics as a seemingly impregnable electoral Death Star.

Sam Rosenfeld, The New Republic, 15 Feb. 2022 Taylor rushed for 170 yards and one touchdown against the seemingly impregnable New England Patriots defense in a 27-17 victory in Week 15, which moved the Colts toward the front of the A.F.C. wild-card chase.

New York Times, 22 Dec. 2021 See More

单词	impregnableness
释义	impregnable adjective im·preg·na·ble im-ˈpreg-nə-bəl 1 : incapable of being taken by assault : unconquerable an impregnable fortress 2 : unassailable also : impenetrable impregnable walls impregnability (ˌ)im-ˌpreg-nə-ˈbi-lə-tē noun impregnableness im-ˈpreg-nə-bəl-nəs noun impregnably im-ˈpreg-nə-blē adverb Did you know? Impregnable is one of the many English words that bear a French ancestry, thanks to the Norman conquest of England in 1066. It derives from the Middle French verb prendre, which means "to take or capture." Combining prendre with various prefixes has given our language many other words, too, including surprise, reprise, and enterprise. Remarkably, impregnable has a different origin from the similar-looking word pregnant; that word comes from a different Latin word, praegnas, meaning "carrying a fetus." Synonyms bulletproof indomitable insuperable insurmountable invincible invulnerable unbeatable unconquerable unstoppable See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences an impregnable fortress that had foiled one invader after another over the centuries the castle's supposedly impregnable walls Recent Examples on the Web To the Ukrainian soldiers, the plant was a stronghold, surrounded on three sides by water, ringed by high walls, as seemingly impregnable as a medieval keep. New York Times, 20 July 2022 Saturday might have seemed perfectly cloudy, with an overcast that seemed impregnable. Martin Weil, Washington Post, 12 June 2022 Ultimately Greenwood and Hanke imagine a United States that’s an autarkic, wholly impregnable island of finance and subsequent economic activity. John Tamny, Forbes, 17 Apr. 2022 That should strike a cautionary note in the executive suites of other companies that seem to hold impregnable positions at the summit of the business world, such as Alphabet (the parent of Google) and Amazon. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2022 To be sure, the economic wall around Russia is not impregnable. Washington Post, 18 Mar. 2022 The thick-walled bunker is just one impregnable symbol of resistance and survival, shown with pride in this frigid city, which has already withstood two weeks of Russian ground attacks and sporadic rocket fire. Scott Peterson, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Mar. 2022 Powered by these two political-economic projects, the Democratic coalition loomed across mid-century American politics as a seemingly impregnable electoral Death Star. Sam Rosenfeld, The New Republic, 15 Feb. 2022 Taylor rushed for 170 yards and one touchdown against the seemingly impregnable New England Patriots defense in a 27-17 victory in Week 15, which moved the Colts toward the front of the A.F.C. wild-card chase. New York Times, 22 Dec. 2021 See More Word History Etymology Middle English imprenable, from Middle French, from in- + prenable vulnerable to capture, from prendre to take — more at prize First Known Use 15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Kids Definition impregnable adjective im·preg·na·ble im-ˈpreg-nə-bəl : not able to be captured by attack : unconquerable impregnableness noun as in invincibleness Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance invincibleness inviolableness invulnerableness inviolability invulnerability invincibility impregnability refuge shelter retreat asylum harbor haven shield safeguard screen defense guardianship ward safety protection guard security aegis cover egis safeness Antonyms & Near Antonyms danger risk trouble distress threat peril jeopardy endangerment hazard instability imperilment exposure precariousness liability vulnerability vulnerableness susceptibility violability openness harm's way susceptibleness See More
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impregnable

adjective

Did you know?

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Kids Definition

adjective

noun