impossible odds
Nearly certain failure
Impossible odds are circumstances so overwhelmingly unfavorable that success seems unattainable.
The phrase typically describes situations where the chances of winning, surviving, or succeeding appear negligible: They fought against impossible odds.
Despite the literal meaning, impossible odds often appear in stories of triumph—the phrase sets up dramatic victories rather than guaranteed defeats.
- underdogPresumed loser beforehand
- dark horseUnlikely but possible winner
- longshotUnlikely to succeed
- miracleSupernatural occurrence beyond explanation
- hail maryDesperate long-shot attempt
defiant · do or die · uphill · desperate · backs to the wall · hopeless · overwhelming · insurmountable · against · survival · sink or swim · courage · last stand · eleventh hour · hero · triumph · beating · defy
- medieval romancechivalric romance, courtly love, Arthurian legends, Arthurian legend, knightly quests
- Mission: ImpossibleEthan Hunt, Tom Cruise, IMF, latex masks, Fallout
- fishing talesthe one that got away, broken lines, epic battles
- unbelievableunbelievable, incredible, inconceivable, implausible, unthinkable
impossible oddscertainty
Total absence of doubt
foregone conclusion · slam dunk · safe bet · even odds · sure thing
impossible oddshome field advantage
Benefit of hosting games
inside track · upper hand · dominant position · winning position · winning hand
impossible, odds, possible, possibility, impossibility, impossibly, possibly, oddness, oddity