[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/impracticable/)

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# impracticable

adjective (impracticable; formal)

«impracticable» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Impossible to do or carry out in practice, even if it sounds good. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/impracticable/#m1)
2. (of a road or path) Impossible to use or travel on: the road was impracticable after the flood. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/impracticable/#m2)

### In the lessons

Used in formal writing, reports and history about plans that cannot be carried out because of cost, time, danger or difficulty. Phrases: an impracticable plan, prove impracticable, impracticable in practice.

### Examples

- The plan to build a tunnel to the island proved impracticable. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/impracticable/#x1)
- Walking across the desert in a day is impracticable. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/impracticable/#x2)
- The flooded road was impracticable for cars. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/impracticable/#x3)
- The idea was clever but impracticable. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/impracticable/#x4)
- It was impracticable to count every grain of sand. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/impracticable/#x5)
- Carrying all the books home at once was impracticable, so we took two trips. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/impracticable/#x6)

### Note

Trap: «impracticable» = cannot be done; «impractical» = could be done but not sensible or useful (high heels for hiking are impractical). Many people mix them up. Formal word.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «impracticable» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/impracticable/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«impracticable» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/impracticable.html) on Mova free.

