impotent

adjective

im·po·tent | \ ˈim-pə-tənt

Definition of impotent

1a : not potent : lacking in power, strength, or vigor : helpless

b : unable to engage in sexual intercourse because of inability to have and maintain an erection broadly : sterile

2 obsolete : incapable of self-restraint : ungovernable

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Examples of impotent in a Sentence

an impotent ruler who was just a figurehead

Recent Examples on the Web

That has left many non-Conservatives watching the race with impotent frustration. — Washington Post, "Who will choose the next UK leader? Mostly older white men," 22 June 2019 Brady, stewing in impotent rage, finally calls to Lake Oswego police to blame the crime on Tabitha, Elodie, and Moe. — Ariana Romero, refinery29.com, "R29 Binge Club: Netflix’s Trinkets Recap," 15 June 2019 As the torrent of verbiage washed over the hearing room, fellow Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy could only glower at Biden in impotent frustration. — Andrew Cockburn, Harper's magazine, "No Joe!," 10 June 2019 At this point in life, I’m habituated to the inevitability that the most impotent mid-season episodes of a Netflix drama will also be the ones that are 57 minutes long. — Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, "The TV Is Too Damn Long," 9 June 2019 The Mahatma viewed with even more impotent sorrow the drifting away of Muslims from the Congress movement, which had set out in the 1880s to represent all Indians without distinction of creed. — Ferdinand Mount, WSJ, "‘Gandhi: The Years That Changed the World’ Review: The Prophet as Politician," 1 Nov. 2018 Colon merely has created a simplistic, and thus impotent, paper tiger here; the political and pedagogical force of her work would be far greater if her villain had at least a touch of complexity. — Chris Jones, chicagotribune.com, "'Tilikum' tells dark story of a captive orca at SeaWorld," 29 June 2018 The militants frequently attack vaccination teams — leading to a brief rise of the epidemic in Pakistan — and have spread propaganda that the vaccines are part of a Western conspiracy to make Muslims impotent or stunt the growth of their children. — New York Times, "Pakistan’s Taliban Names New Leader After U.S. Drone Strike," 24 June 2018 Waiting in horror to see what happens when an impotent man-baby gets his finger on the nuclear button. — Jennifer M. Wood, WIRED, "10 Scathing Political Satires to Stream This Independence Day," 3 July 2018

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