impotent

play

adjective im·po·tent \ ˈim-pə-tənt \

Definition of impotent

1 a :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

—

impotent

noun

—

impotently

adverb

See impotent defined for English-language learners

See impotent defined for kids

Examples of impotent in a Sentence

an impotent ruler who was just a figurehead

Recent Examples of impotent from the Web

But this film also demonstrates what a miscarriage of justice feels like from the inside, becoming a powerful indictment of how much damage a heedless and uncaring system can do to an impotent individual caught in its grinding wheels.

— kenneth turan, latimes.com, "'Crown Heights' tells a timely, fact-based tale of wrongful incarceration," 24 Aug. 2017
This is why even the most significant condemnations have been rendered impotent.

— lauren duca, Teen Vogue, "Read This From a Teleprompter: Donald Trump Is Unfit to Serve," 24 Aug. 2017
South Korea almost cries crocodile tears, China is amused, and the U.S. seems impotent.

— victor davis hanson, National Review, "The Korean Games of Thrones," 25 July 2017
But without Aaron Altherr, Howie Kendrick, and Cesar Hernandez, this Phillies lineup is somewhat impotent.

— matt gelb, Philly.com, "Phillies squander another quality start from Aaron Nola in loss to Brewers," 15 July 2017
Ajo Kawir, a Javanese teenager, witnesses the brutal rape of a local madwoman by two policemen, and from that moment on is rendered impotent.

— The Economist, "The secrets of Indonesia’s finest novelist," 13 July 2017
And running to Congress seems belated and impotent.

— The Hive, "How the Media Let Itself Get Crushed by Facebook," 11 July 2017
A horrifyingly ill-advised sequence in which the previously impotent Nite Owl (Patrick Wilson) finally gets boned up and has sex with Silk Spectre (Malin Åkerman) in a hovering owl ship.

— tom philip, GQ, "The Funniest Sex Scenes in Movie History," 27 June 2017
That's right @realDonaldTrump is an intellectually impotent little man who needs to b impeached #

— hilary lewis, The Hollywood Reporter, "Stars, Politicians Respond to Trump Plan to Withdraw U.S. from Paris Climate Agreement," 1 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'impotent.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

A police department may be impotent to stop the flow of drugs into a neighborhood. A group of countries may be impotent to force another country to change its human-rights policies. The impotence of a prime minister may be shown by her inability to get an important piece of legislation passed. Impotent and impotence may also have a special meaning, when they refer to a man's inability to have sexual intercourse.