without a chance
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without a chance
Without any prospect of success or any possibility of reaching a goal.
Gegen den übermächtigen Gegner war die kleine Mannschaft von Anfang an chancenlos.
Against the overwhelmingly powerful opponent, the small team was without a chance from the start.
The adjective is formed from the noun 'die Chance' (chance) and the ending '-los'. The ending '-los' means 'without' and is attached to nouns to express the absence of something.
Ohne die Hilfe seiner Freunde wäre er chancenlos gewesen.
Without the help of his friends, he would have been without a chance.
'Chancenlos' can also be used as an adverb to describe a verb more closely. It then means that an action is carried out without any prospect of success.
Die Feuerwehr kämpfte chancenlos gegen die Flammen.
The fire department fought the flames without a chance.
This adjective is especially common in connection with sports, competitions, and conflicts. It describes a situation in which one side is clearly inferior.
Die Heimmannschaft war gegen den Tabellenführer chancenlos.
The home team was without a chance against the league leader.
impossible
'unmöglich' and 'chancenlos' are close in meaning because in both cases success is not realistic. 'unmöglich' generally says that something is not feasible or cannot be done. 'chancenlos' is used especially when someone or something has no prospect of success, for example in a competition, argument, game, or attempt. Learners may confuse the words because both sound negative. A practical tip: a task can be 'unmöglich' (impossible); a person, a team, or an attempt is 'chancenlos' (without a chance).
Gegen die erfahrene Mannschaft war unser Team von Anfang an chancenlos.
Against the experienced team, our team was without a chance from the start.
Die Rechnung ist unmöglich zu bezahlen, weil das Geld nicht reicht.
The bill is impossible to pay because there isn't enough money.