out of the question
56
2.7
- idiom
:
imposible
- It's out of the question.
- seem out of the question
No onboard GPU means that Intel's Quick Sync video encoding is out of the question here.
- No onboard GPU means that Intel's Quick Sync video encoding is out of the question here.
- To Elkrim, this was out of the question.
- The concept of rejecting people or those relationships in any form is out of the question.
- Well, Justin's friend Austin, he got his pilot's license and a plane for a total of, again, this is out of the question for a lot of people.
Examples
-
"As for the Air Battle thing, that's out of the question," the President continued.
Fiction book (1991) -
Given his weak political position, vetoing the bill was apparently out of the question.
Academic text (2002) -
An official operation was out of the question.
-
And at the moment, out of the question.
-
Absolutely out of the question.
-
You must be aware that what you propose is out of the question.
-
Then I'm afraid it's out of the question.
-
It is out of the question.
-
So going to Asquonset on Labor Day weekend was out of the question.
Fiction book (2001) -
Using your phone in class is out of the question if you want to pass the exam.
Synonyms
∞
1.4
Not able to happen or be done
256
3.2
Not good enough or not allowed by rules
102
4.6
Not allowed to enter, use, or talk about
44
2.2
Not allowed by rules and not good enough for standards
6
7.7
Not allowed by rules, laws, or official standards
1
3.6
No longer fashionable or popular
Not safe or allowed to be talked about openly
Antonyms
How Possible
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'not possible/allowed' is directly derivable from combining 'out of' (outside/excluded) with 'the question' (the matter under consideration) — together meaning 'outside consideration' or 'not to be considered'. This composition follows a common exclusional pattern in English and has close parallels in other languages (e.g. French 'hors de question'), so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would likely infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
The phrase out of the question gives a simple picture: imagine the question as a circle of things you can think about, and something out of that circle is not for thinking about or doing, so it means 'not possible' or 'not allowed'.