insurmountable

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   too great or difficult to overcome

   A lack of funding proved to be an insurmountable obstacle for the project.

2. 2
   adj

   impossible to climb over, cross, or pass

   Without ropes, the ice wall looked insurmountable.

Formed from the negative prefix in- + surmountable. Surmount comes from Old French surmonter, built from sur-, 'above,' + monter, 'to climb or mount.' Something insurmountable therefore cannot literally be climbed over or, by extension, cannot be successfully overcome.

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