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insolvable

insolvable

1 8.1
No one can find an answer to it
  • adjective
  • /ɪnˈsɑlvəbl/
: insoluble
  • Basically, universities are being asked to solve problems that are either inherently insolvable or not solvable.

What all the medics, doctors and professors think is insolvable right now.

Examples

  • Identify a complex problem that others have ignored or thought insolvable.

    Academic text (2017)
  • I didn't say the problem was insolvable; I said there were associated costs.

    Blog text (25)
  • It's not an insolvable problem.

    Blog text (19)
  • Identify complex problems that others have ignored or thought insolvable.

    Academic text (2017)
  • The task included both solvable and insolvable items, so that the participants could not doubt that a score of 100% on the test was impossible.

    Academic text (2001)
  • What all the medics, doctors and professors think is insolvable right now.

  • But Walters makes a distinction in Ghost Singer that she does not make in her interview between insolvable and solvable mysteries.

    Academic text (1993)
  • The calculations showed that the issue was truly insolvable with the available data.

  • Despite many attempts, the team realized that the conflict was insolvable without external help.

  • After endless deliberations, they concluded that the mystery surrounding the event was insolvable.

Synonyms

impossible
vsinsolvable
∞ 1.4

Not able to happen or be done

is narrower, limited to not being solvable rather than all impossibilities
insurmountable
vsinsolvable
29 8.5

Impossible to get past

focuses on finding a solution rather than physically getting past an obstacle
intractable
vsinsolvable
21 8.7

Hard to manage, change, or control

is narrower, talking specifically about finding a definite solution
unsolvable
vsinsolvable
7 5.3

Not possible to find an answer

is the identical idea phrased in the headword form
unanswerable
vsinsolvable
7 6.8

Not possible to reply to in a way that convinces people

applies to problems generally rather than only questions needing answers
unfixable
vsinsolvable
3 4.9

Impossible to repair or make work again

limits this impossibility to finding a solution rather than physical repair
insoluble
vsinsolvable
3 7.5

Too difficult to solve or deal with, like a problem

expresses the same impossibility using a different variant form
insuperable
vsinsolvable
  • Formal
2 9.1

So hard that no one can get past it

applies to solving problems rather than mainly to overcoming challenges
unresolvable
vsinsolvable
1 8.2

Not able to be solved or settled

keeps the same core meaning but uses an alternative form
undoable
vsinsolvable
1 4.9

Not possible to do because of little time or no help

refers specifically to lacking a solution rather than inability to perform
irresolvable
vsinsolvable
1 7.9

Impossible for people to solve or settle

focuses specifically on being unsolvable rather than broader settlement issues
unsurmountable
vsinsolvable
1 8.1

Impossible to overcome or get past, like a problem you cannot solve

is concerned with solving problems rather than surmounting physical obstacles
irremediable
vsinsolvable
1 9.6

Not able to be fixed or made better

is about not finding a solution rather than being irreversible or incurable
inexpugnable
vsinsolvable
1 9.9

No one can beat or prove it wrong

is about lack of a solution more than invincibility or irrefutability
unsoluble
vsinsolvable
9.4

Not able to be fixed or changed

is the same unsolvable sense but in a different spelling variant
unfigurable
vsinsolvable
9.9

Impossible to understand or solve

focuses more on failing to find a clear solution rather than just understanding

Antonyms

7 3.2

A problem you can find an answer to

How Solvable

easy
∞ 1.0
solvable
7 3.2
difficult
∞ 1.6
intractable
21 8.7
insolvable
1 8.1

Surface Forms

insolvable positive

Morphology

insolvable = solvable (transparent) = in + solve + able

The adjective is formed in a standard way by adding negative 'in-' to 'solvable', yielding the clear meaning 'not solvable'.

Etymology

Insolvable has two parts: in- meaning 'not' and solve meaning 'to find an answer', the same root you see in solution. So, insolvable means 'not able to be solved'.