Insolvable

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ɪnˈsɒlvəbəl/

Definitions

1. Incapable of being resolved, solved, or settled, particularly regarding financial obligations that cannot be paid or mathematical problems that lack a solution
2. Unable to be resolved or settled, especially referring to issues that cannot find a solution or debts that cannot be paid off
3. Characterized by a lack of possibilities for resolution, particularly when dealing with complex problems or unpayable obligations

Etymology: "Insolvable" is a plain English formation: the prefix in- ("not") attached to "solvable," which itself comes from "solve," so the word means "not able to be solved." Because the two parts are so transparent, the word is less a historical curiosity than a neat example of how English builds negatives on the fly. Its more interesting relationship is with its close relatives. "Insoluble" and "unsolvable" mean much the same thing, and "insolvable" is best understood as a doublet of both, meaning it sits among them as a near-synonym that arose from the same underlying idea. Each of the three competes for the same sense, with "insoluble" carrying the most weight for problems and debts, and "unsolvable" the most common in everyday speech.

Synonyms: unresolvable, insurmountable, irreconcilable, unmanageable, intractable

Antonyms: solvable, manageable, resolvable, settleable, answerable