mission impossible
3
7.2
- noun
- /ˈmɪʃən ɪmˈpɑːsəbl/
- Informal
:
misión imposible
- So the Communists were both fanatics and failures because they were engaged in a mission impossible.
- called it a mission impossible
Examples
-
Given the proliferation of bureaucratic institutions and separate military forces, any attempt to enlist broad opposition is almost a mission impossible, requiring coordination between the commanders of dozens of military and security units.
Academic text (2008) -
But deal with these idiots, it's almost mission impossible.
-
Right now what you're doing is mission impossible.
Blog text (12) -
Do we go all out to win, or do we realize that it is mission impossible, as you are stating, and just work for the future?
Blog text (25) -
For stakes in the Preston England Temple District, covering approximately half of the United Kingdom, it seemed like mission impossible, but by November 2010, that goal was accomplished.
Blog text (34) -
So almost, I don't want to use the word Mission Impossible, but that's, that's the task challenge we would face if everything built here.
-
For the rescue team, climbing the mountain in such severe weather was a mission impossible.
-
Many believed that negotiating peace in the war-torn region was a mission impossible.
-
Completing the project within a week, given all the obstacles, felt like a mission impossible.
Synonyms
37
5.3
A situation in which something cannot happen
22
6.6
A hopeless search for something that does not exist
16
6.9
A task that is very hard to do
12
7.2
A task that has no chance of success
1
5.2
A very difficult task that you must overcome
1
5.9
A very large and difficult job that needs a lot of time and effort
1
4.3
Something that cannot be done or achieved
A very hard task that is almost impossible
A very difficult task that needs a lot of effort
Antonyms
How Difficult
∞
1.4
- Informal
3
7.2
29
7.7
∞
1.6
183
4.4
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'mission' = a task/assignment and 'impossible' = cannot be accomplished, so together they denote a task that cannot (or is extremely difficult to) be achieved. This straightforward adjective-noun combination is cross-linguistically transparent and follows predictable English patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Mission impossible creates a strong image: a mission is an important task and impossible means it cannot be done, so the phrase feels like a job that will fail. Imagine a spy team given a task with no way to win, dangerous and very hard. That's why it means 'a task that is extremely difficult or almost impossible'.