impassible
- adjective
- /ɪmˈpæsəbl/
- Specialized
:
impasible
- "He would not really be beyond suffering at all, but simply incapable of it; to call him impassible would be to say no more than that, in the order of the mutable, he is immutable; or that, in the order of the contingent, he is rescued from contingency simply by virtue of being that force that is supreme among all other forces."
Examples
-
It did not attribute to the Son of God particular qualities, like being eternal and impassible.
Academic text (2010) -
The ancient Greek philosophers often debated whether the divine beings were truly impassible and unaffected by human suffering.
-
Lantenac as judge is described as "de pierre," "impassible."
Academic text (1994) -
Armenian theology, drawing upon its classical Christology, could rightly stress not the omnipotent power of an unconditioned and impassible God, but the freedom and chosen vulnerability.
Academic text (1991) -
In many religious texts, God is portrayed as impassible, remaining unchanged regardless of humanity's actions.
-
The concept of an impassible deity suggests that such a being cannot experience pain or emotion.
Synonyms
3
3.9
Not changed or harmed by something and not showing strong feeling
Not able to feel sorry for others or be emotionally moved
Not easily upset by what others say or do
Antonyms
How Sensitive
7
5.6
217
2.7
8
5.1
- Specialized
5
4.5
- Specialized
Surface Forms
Morphology
impassible = passible (opaque) = im + pass + ible
The theological or philosophical meaning of 'incapable of suffering' is not directly derivable from the base word.
Etymology
Impassible comes from in- 'not' and pass 'to suffer or feel', the same root behind passion and passive. So a truly impassible being is one that cannot be hurt or changed by pain or emotion.