📖 I — The English dictionary · page 7

impaired — Everyday, meaning 1: Impaired means weakened, damaged or not working as well as normal.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Used about the body: visually impaired means having poor sight; hearing impaired means having poor hearing.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (verb) To impair something is to damage it or make it work less well.↗ Example: A visually impaired girl reads with Braille.↗ · Tiredness impaired the driver's judgement.↗ · The fog impaired our view of the road.↗ · Loud music can impair your hearing over time.↗ · The school has ramps and lifts for pupils with impaired movement.↗ · His speech was impaired after the accident.↗ · Looking at your phone impairs your attention when crossing the road.↗

impairment — Everyday, meaning 1: An impairment is a problem with part of the body or mind that makes it work less well, as in «hearing impairment» or «visual impairment».↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Impairment is the state of being damaged or weakened.↗ Example: My friend has a hearing impairment and uses hearing aids.↗ · Braille helps people with a visual impairment to read.↗ · Some impairments cannot be seen.↗ · Ramps help people with mobility impairments.↗ · Alcohol causes impairment of judgement (for adults).↗

impart — Everyday, meaning 1: (formal) To give or pass on information, knowledge or wisdom to someone: impart knowledge.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (formal) To give a quality, taste or feeling to something: herbs impart flavour.↗ Example: Teachers impart knowledge to their pupils.↗ · The old man imparted his wisdom to the children.↗ · Lemon imparts a fresh taste to the cake.↗ · She had important news to impart.↗ · Smoke imparts a special flavour to the fish.↗ · Grandma imparted her secret recipe only to me.↗ · The king and his son also agreed, and the decision was imparted to the Fianna.↗ · Because God hath deprived her of wisdom, neither hath He imparted to her understanding.↗ (Writings JOB.39.17, JPS 1917)↗

impartial — Everyday, meaning 1: Impartial means fair to everyone and not taking sides, so you do not favour one person or team.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (law) An impartial judge or jury decides only on the facts, without friendship or dislike affecting the decision.↗ Example: A referee must be impartial.↗ · The judge listened to both sides and stayed impartial.↗ · We need someone impartial to decide who won.↗ · The teacher was impartial and gave everyone a turn.↗ · News should give impartial reports.↗ · It's hard to be impartial when your best friend is playing.↗ · (law) Every person has the right to an impartial trial.↗ · Mum stayed impartial when my sister and I argued.↗

impartiality — Everyday, meaning 1: Being fair and not taking sides; treating everyone in the same way.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (formal) In news, law and sport, the rule that a judge, referee, reporter or teacher must not favour one person or group.↗ Example: The referee's impartiality was questioned after the penalty.↗ · Judges must show impartiality in court.↗ · The news channel promised impartiality in its election coverage.↗ · Our teacher marked the stories blind to keep her impartiality.↗ · Impartiality means treating your best friend and a stranger the same in a game.↗ · A judge who knows the person on trial may step aside to protect impartiality.↗

impartially — Everyday, meaning 1: In a fair way, without favouring anyone or taking sides.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (formal) Judging only on facts and rules, not on who people are.↗ Example: The referee must judge the match impartially.↗ · Our class captain shared the jobs out impartially.↗ · The reporter tried to describe both sides impartially.↗ · The judge listened impartially to everyone.↗ · Teachers should mark work impartially.↗ · Choose the winner impartially, not just your friend.↗

impassable — Everyday, meaning 1: Impossible to go through or travel along, because it is blocked, flooded or too rough.↗ Example: The road was impassable after the flood.↗ · Snow made the mountain pass impassable.↗ · A fallen tree left the path impassable.↗ · Never drive through flood water — it may be impassable.↗ · The thick jungle was almost impassable.↗ · The river was impassable without a bridge.↗ · “To attempt to fight a battle in this impassable country unknown to my men only makes my task harder.↗

impassive — Everyday, meaning 1: Impassive means showing no feeling at all, with a calm face that does not change.↗ Example: Her face was impassive.↗ · The guard stood impassive at the gate.↗ · He stayed impassive while the crowd shouted.↗

impasto — Everyday, meaning 1: (art) A way of painting with very thick paint, so that the brush or knife marks stand up from the surface.↗ Example: Van Gogh used impasto, so his paintings look bumpy.↗ · We tried impasto with a palette knife in art class.↗ · The impasto makes the sunflowers look 3D.↗ · Impasto takes a long time to dry.↗ · You can see the brushstrokes in the impasto.↗ · Add flour to poster paint for a pretend impasto.↗

impatience — Everyday, meaning 1: A feeling of being annoyed because you have to wait or because something is slow.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A strong wish for something to happen soon; eagerness.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Being easily irritated by people or mistakes.↗ Example: She tapped her foot with impatience.↗ · The children's impatience grew as the bus was late.↗ · Toad's impatience to drive again could not be stopped.↗ · The Queen of Hearts had no patience at all, only impatience.↗ · In his impatience, he opened the oven too soon and the cake sank.↗ · The teacher showed no impatience with our questions.↗ · I am burning with impatience to test its charms."↗ · And Moses spoke so unto the children of Israel; but they hearkened not unto Moses for impatience of spirit, and for cruel bondage.↗ (Torah EXO.6.9, JPS 1917)↗

impatient — Everyday, meaning 1: Not able to wait calmly; easily annoyed when things take time.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Very eager to do something soon: impatient to start.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Impatient with someone means easily annoyed by them.↗ Example: The children were impatient for the holidays to start.↗ · Don't be impatient, your turn will come.↗ · The driver grew impatient in the traffic jam.↗ · He was impatient with his little brother.↗ · I'm impatient to open my presents!↗ · The impatient customer tapped her foot.↗ · "Don't be so impatient," said Snow-White.↗ · And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way to the Red Sea, to compass the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became impatient because of the way.↗ (Torah NUM.21.4, JPS 1917)↗ · Or why should I not be impatient?↗ (Writings JOB.21.4, JPS 1917)↗ · And I cut off the three shepherds in one month; 'for My soul became impatient of them, and their soul also loathed Me.'↗ (Prophets ZEC.11.8, JPS 1917)↗

impatiently — Everyday, meaning 1: In an impatient way: eagerly, or annoyed at having to wait.↗ Example: "Well?" asked the king impatiently.↗ · She tapped her foot impatiently.↗ · The magician waited impatiently for the prince.↗

impede — Everyday, meaning 1: (formal) To impede someone or something is to get in the way and slow it down or make it harder to happen or move.↗ Example: Fallen trees impeded the rescue workers.↗ · Heavy snow impeded traffic all morning.↗ · Talking in class impedes learning.↗ · Friction impedes the movement of the box.↗ · Nothing should impede the fire exit.↗ · Bad weather impeded the search for the boat.↗ · In the van, on all fours, is Great Big Little Panther, a brave of so many scalps that in his present position they somewhat impede his progress.↗

impediment — Everyday, meaning 1: An impediment is something that gets in the way or makes progress hard.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A speech impediment is a difficulty in speaking, like a stammer or a lisp.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (church, law) An impediment to marriage is a legal reason two people cannot marry.↗ Example: Lack of money was an impediment to the plan.↗ · He has a slight speech impediment.↗ · Speech therapy helped her impediment.↗ · The priest asked if anyone knew of an impediment to the marriage.↗ · Fallen trees were an impediment to the rescue.↗ · Shyness need not be an impediment.↗

impeding — Everyday, meaning 1: Impeding means getting in the way of something and slowing it down or making it harder.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (sport, UK) Impeding is a rule-break in football or hockey where a player blocks an opponent without playing the ball.↗ Example: A fallen tree was impeding the traffic.↗ · Do not leave bags in the corridor impeding the fire exit.↗ · The referee gave a free kick for impeding.↗ · The mud was impeding our progress up the hill.↗ · He was arrested for impeding a police officer.↗ · Fear can stop you, impeding your learning.↗

impel — Everyday, meaning 1: To impel someone is to push or drive them to do something, as if they cannot stop themselves.↗ Example: Fear impelled him to run.↗ · Hunger impelled the wolf to leave the forest.↗ · Something impels the vampire to leave its grave.↗

impelled — Everyday, meaning 1: Made to feel that you must do something; driven by a strong feeling or need.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Pushed or driven forward by a force.↗ Example: She felt impelled to tell the truth.↗ · Mole was impelled by a strong longing to find his old home.↗ · Curiosity impelled the Elephant's Child to ask about the Crocodile.↗ · The boat was impelled forward by the wind.↗ · He felt impelled to help the lost child.↗ · Rat was nearly impelled to follow the Sea Rat south.↗

impending — Everyday, meaning 1: About to happen soon, often something unpleasant or important.↗ Example: The dark sky warned of an impending storm.↗ · There was a feeling of impending doom in the haunted house.↗ · Everyone was nervous about the impending exams.↗ · The impending visit of the inspector made the teachers busy.↗ · The animals sensed the impending earthquake.↗ · News of the impending wedding spread fast.↗ · In vain does he attempt to save the twins from their impending fate, by concealing them in a secret abode constructed for that purpose underground.↗

impenetrable — Everyday, meaning 1: Impenetrable means impossible to get through, into or see through, like a thick forest or a strong wall.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Impenetrable also means impossible to understand, like a very difficult text.↗ Example: The castle walls were impenetrable.↗ · They hacked a path through the impenetrable jungle.↗ · The fog was so thick it was impenetrable.↗ · The instructions were impenetrable; nobody understood them.↗ · Our team's defence was impenetrable all season.↗ · The darkness of the cave was impenetrable.↗ · It was pleasant to stand on a branch that swayed and sprung, and it was good to stare at an impenetrable roof of leaves and then climb into it.↗

imperative — Everyday, meaning 1: (grammar) The imperative is the form of a verb used to give orders, instructions or advice, like «Sit down!» or «Mix the flour».↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Imperative means extremely important or urgent, as in «It is imperative that you arrive on time».↗ Everyday, meaning 3: An imperative is something you must do, a duty or need.↗ Example: «Close the door» uses an imperative verb.↗ · Recipes are full of imperatives like «stir» and «bake».↗ · It is imperative that you wear a helmet.↗ · Bossy verbs are imperatives.↗ · Write instructions using imperative verbs.↗ · Saving the forest is a moral imperative.↗ · But he knew that he must go, for the call was imperative.↗ · HVI is the imperative form of the verb to he, meaning he thou; HIV is the infinitive; and VIH is future.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893)↗

imperceptible — Everyday, meaning 1: So small, slight or slow that it cannot be seen, heard or felt.↗ Example: The change in the river's level was almost imperceptible.↗ · She gave an imperceptible nod.↗ · The hour hand moves at an imperceptible speed.↗ · Continents drift at an imperceptible rate, a few centimetres a year.↗ · The Cheshire Cat faded away by imperceptible degrees until only its grin was left.↗ · There was an imperceptible tremor before the earthquake.↗

imperceptibly — Everyday, meaning 1: So slowly or slightly that you cannot notice it happening.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: In a way too small to see, hear or feel.↗ Example: The hour hand moves imperceptibly round the clock.↗ · Day turned imperceptibly into night.↗ · She nodded imperceptibly to show she agreed.↗ · The glacier moves imperceptibly, only a little each day.↗ · My little sister is growing imperceptibly taller.↗ · The temperature dropped imperceptibly through the evening.↗

imperfect — Everyday, meaning 1: Having faults or mistakes; not perfect.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (grammar) The imperfect tense describes past actions that were going on or happened often, as in French and Spanish, or «I was reading» in English.↗ Example: The vase is slightly imperfect, so it was half price.↗ · Nobody is perfect; we are all imperfect.↗ · Her English is imperfect, but she speaks it bravely.↗ · Christians believe that God loves people even though they are imperfect.↗ · In French lessons we learned the imperfect tense.↗ · The plan was imperfect, but it worked.↗

imperial — Everyday, meaning 1: Imperial means to do with an empire or an emperor, as in «the imperial palace».↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Imperial units are the old British system of measures, such as inches, feet, miles, pints, pounds and stones.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (formal) Imperial can mean grand and commanding, like a powerful ruler.↗ Example: The British still use imperial miles on road signs.↗ · Convert 6 feet from imperial to metric.↗ · The emperor lived in the imperial palace.↗ · Imperial Rome ruled a huge area.↗ · A pint is an imperial unit.↗ · My grandad measures everything in inches, the imperial way.↗ · The imperial army marched across the desert.↗ · The Imperial messenger insisted, saying it was the Emperor’s order.↗

imperious — Everyday, meaning 1: Imperious means bossy and commanding, used to being obeyed, though it can also be a proud kind of charm.↗ Example: "Come here at once," she said in an imperious voice.↗ · The queen gave an imperious look.↗ · Her eyes held him with imperious tenderness.↗