Impracticable

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Impracticable \Im*prac"ti*ca*ble\, a.
     1. Not practicable; incapable of being performed, or
        accomplished by the means employed, or at command;
        impossible; as, an impracticable undertaking.
        [1913 Webster]
  


     2. Not to be overcome, persuaded, or controlled by any
        reasonable method; unmanageable; intractable; not capable
        of being easily dealt with; -- used in a general sense, as
        applied to a person or thing that is difficult to control
        or get along with.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              This though, impracticable heart
              Is governed by a dainty-fingered girl. --Rowe.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Patriotic but loyal men went away disgusted afresh
              with the impracticable arrogance of a sovereign.
                                                    --Palfrey.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. Incapable of being used or availed of; as, an
        impracticable road; an impracticable method.
  
     Syn: Impossible; infeasible. -- {Impracticable},
          {Impossible}. A thing is impracticable when it can not
          be accomplished by any human means at present possessed;
          a thing is impossible when the laws of nature forbid it.
          The navigation of a river may now be impracticable, but
          not impossible, because the existing obstructions may
          yet be removed. "The barons exercised the most despotic
          authority over their vassals, and every scheme of public
          utility was rendered impracticable by their continued
          petty wars with each other." --Mickle. "With men this is
          impossible, but with God all things are possible."
          --Matt. xix. 26.
          [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  impracticable
       adj : not capable of being carried out or put into practice;
             "refloating the sunken ship proved impracticable
             because of its fragility"; "a suggested reform that was
             unfeasible in the prevailing circumstances" [syn: {infeasible},
              {unfeasible}, {unworkable}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  22 Moby Thesaurus words for "impracticable":
     awkward, disadvantageous, impossible, impractical, inapplicable,
     inconvenient, infeasible, nonfunctional, troublesome, unacceptable,
     unachievable, unattainable, undesirable, unfeasible, unfit,
     unrealizable, unsatisfactory, unserviceable, unsuitable, unusable,
     unworkable, useless