as in inability
the lack of sufficient ability, power, or means
the congressional committee's essential impotence in affecting the management of the war was frustrating to its members
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Recent Examples of impotence
Immediate and permanent effects from treatment often include impotence and incontinence.
—
Gina Kolata, New York Times, 20 May 2025
That includes impotence, incontinence and life-threatening infections.
—Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2025
Viagra’s marketing shifted the language around the issue, redefining it as erectile dysfunction rather than impotence.
—Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2025
For Brazil in particular, such impotence in the face of a geopolitical crisis at its border symbolizes the dramatic failure of decades of Brazilian foreign policy, in which Brasília sought to make itself into the region’s diplomatic and political leader.
—Oliver Stuenkel, Foreign Affairs, 31 Jan. 2019
See All Example Sentences for impotence
Gina Kolata, New York Times, 20 May 2025
That includes impotence, incontinence and life-threatening infections.
—Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2025
Viagra’s marketing shifted the language around the issue, redefining it as erectile dysfunction rather than impotence.
—Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2025
For Brazil in particular, such impotence in the face of a geopolitical crisis at its border symbolizes the dramatic failure of decades of Brazilian foreign policy, in which Brasília sought to make itself into the region’s diplomatic and political leader.
—Oliver Stuenkel, Foreign Affairs, 31 Jan. 2019
See All Example Sentences for impotence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impotence
inability
Noun
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Boos rained down much of the evening, with frustration directed at the referees and the Checkers’ inability to convert on their powerplay opportunities.—
Hunter Bailey,
Charlotte Observer,
24 June 2025
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Our inability to record these sweltering spells in a more conspicuous way is shared by the natural world, which rarely shows the marks of an episode of hot weather in any lasting way.—
Ross Andersen,
The Atlantic,
24 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Impotence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impotence. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.
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