WordGarden.ioimpermeable
C2Pronunciation
UK
- /ɪmpˈɜːməbəl/
US
- /ɪmˈpɜrmiəbəl/Canadaadjective
Meanings
Adjective
not allowing liquid, gas, or another substance to pass through
not open to influence, persuasion, or emotional effect
Beyond the definition
Imagine trying to build a sandcastle during high tide. If your walls are impermeable and water cannot get through them, you might just succeed. The word comes from Latin roots that suggest the idea of not letting something pass through.
Something impermeable acts as a barrier against liquid, gas, or moisture. A good raincoat may be made of impermeable material, keeping you dry in the rain. The word can also be used in a figurative way. You might say someone seems impermeable to advice or criticism if those things do not get through to them.
The word impermeable describes something that does not let liquid or gas pass through it. Think of a tightly sealed container, a layer of rock, or a well-made rain jacket. If it is impermeable, it forms a barrier that keeps water, air, or other substances from moving through.
You will often see impermeable in science and engineering. Geologists talk about impermeable rock layers that stop groundwater from flowing through them. Engineers use impermeable membranes and barriers in construction, packaging, and water systems. In everyday life, you might describe a high-quality rain jacket or pair of boots as impermeable if they keep moisture out.
But the word is not limited to physical things. It can also be used metaphorically to describe a person who does not respond to ideas, feelings, or influence. If someone is impermeable to reason, they do not listen to logic. If a character seems impermeable to sympathy, they are untouched by it.
So whether it describes a material that keeps out water or a person who shuts out influence, impermeable suggests that something cannot easily get through.
Examples
- 1
Outdoor clothing
The jacket is light enough for hiking but still impermeable to rain.
- 2
Lab containers
The lab used special containers that are impermeable to air and moisture.
- 3
Personal criticism
After years of success, he had become almost impermeable to criticism.
- Patternimpermeable to + criticism
not easily affected by criticism
- 4
Persuasion
She tried to persuade him, but he seemed impermeable to every argument.
More examplesFewer examples
- 5
Institutional change
The organization had grown so rigid that it felt impermeable to change.
- Patternimpermeable to + change
unwilling or unable to accept change
See also
Similar
- impervious
- waterproof
- nonporous
Shades of meaning
Contrast
Used with (collocations)
- impermeable membrane
- impermeable layer
- impermeable barrier
- impermeable surface
Word family
Explore
- barrier material
- hydraulic conductivity
Forms and spellings
1 form open this card.
Main spelling
- impermeableadjective