Infeasibility

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The quality or state of being impractical or impossible to accomplish or execute within given constraints or circumstances
2. The condition in which a proposed plan or idea cannot be realistically carried out due to practical limitations or barriers
3. The state where an intention or project is unattainable or unworkable because of inherent challenges or restrictions

Etymology: "Infeasibility" is a plain compound: the prefix "in-", meaning "not," attached to "feasibility." That prefix comes down from Latin "in-," which is also where English gets many of its negating words, such as "inability" and "invisible." Its ancestry runs back to the same ancient root that gave Latin its negative particle, and it reached English through Middle English. "Feasibility" itself is the older half, built from "feasible," which comes from Old French "faisable," meaning "able to be done," from "faire," to do. Adding "in-" flips that sense, so "infeasibility" describes the quality of being impossible to carry out, whether because of practical obstacles or outright restrictions.

Synonyms: impracticality, unworkability

Antonyms: feasibility, practicability