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impregnability

impregnability

1 9.8
The state of being strong enough to resist attack
  • noun
  • /ɪmˌprɛɡnəˈbɪləti/
  • Formal
translation icon : impregnabilidad
  • Despite recent advancements in military technology, the impregnability of the fortress remains a topic of debate among strategists.

Examples

  • Coolness is an aesthetic of the streets, a style of deportment specifically designed to alert potential predators of one's impregnability to assault.

    Academic text (1999)
  • Some have also started to question America's impregnability; the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, highlighted the United States' vulnerability and were quickly followed up with increasing calls for Tokyo to revise Article 9.

    Academic text (2003)
  • In the congealed world of the spectacle, intervention in the form of critical seeing proves increasingly attenuated, devoted to documenting the seeming impregnability of the social order.

    Academic text (2004)
  • The ancient castle's walls demonstrate great impregnability, having withstood numerous attacks throughout history.

  • The company's security measures ensure the impregnability of its data against potential cyber threats.

Synonyms

invincibility
vsimpregnability
9 7.6

A state in which someone cannot be defeated

focuses on resisting attack rather than being unbeatable in every contest
invulnerability
vsimpregnability
5 7.9

The state of not being able to be harmed in body or feelings

focuses on strength to resist or withstand attack rather than general immunity
indestructibility
vsimpregnability
1 9.0

A quality that makes something impossible to break or harm

focuses on not being damaged rather than on blocking or resisting attack
impenetrability
vsimpregnability
1 9.9

Being impossible to go through, like thick walls or heavy fog

speaks of stopping penetration or entry rather than mainly resisting active attack
unassailability
vsimpregnability
9.8

A state in which something cannot be attacked, questioned, or defeated

is about physical resistance rather than immunity to questioning or criticism
untouchability
vsimpregnability
  • Formal
9.2

Being protected from attack or punishment so people do not challenge you

is about resisting or withstanding attack rather than avoiding contact or punishment
impenetrableness
vsimpregnability
9.9

A quality of being impossible to get through or understand

focuses on general resistance to penetration rather than on withstanding an attack

Antonyms

156 5.1

A state of being easily harmed physically or emotionally

133 1.4

Lack of physical or mental strength that makes someone less able to act

How Resistant

impregnability
  • Formal
1 9.8
resistance
  • Specialized
54 4.1
resilience
52 4.8
fragility
17 5.2
vulnerability
156 5.1

Surface Forms

Morphology

impregnability = impregnable (semi-transparent) = im + pregn + able + ity

Formation of the noun with the suffix '-ity' from the adjective 'impregnable' is a regular and clear derivation.

Etymology

Impregnability comes from im- meaning 'not' and pregnable meaning 'able to be taken or captured', so a thing's 'impregnability' is the quality of being unable to be taken or defeated and therefore very strong or invulnerable.