impasse
/amˈpɑːs
/ /ˈampɑːs /noun
A situation in which no progress is possible, especially because of disagreement; a deadlock: the current political impasse...
- By focusing on the nature of a couple's disagreements and by accepting that differences of opinion will always exist, it is possible to transform relationship impasses into greater peace and intimacy.
- This dilemma perfectly sums up the impasse in all republican-loyalist negotiations.
- My prediction is that dollarization will continue to help with these problems, although political impasses will sometimes occur.
Synonyms
deadlock, dead end, stalemate, checkmate, stand-off;
standstill, halt, stop, stoppage, full stop
Origin
Mid 19th century: from French, from im- (expressing negation) + the stem of passer 'to pass'.