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
On the same day that Trump regaled the more boisterous crowd just across the river at CPAC with his tales of political retribution, several hundred activists and insiders gathered in downtown D.C. to make sense of their current impotence.
—
Philip Elliott, TIME, 24 Feb. 2025
So far, this war has been characterized by stunning Israeli tactical successes, as well as the seeming impotence of Iran and its once vaunted network of regional proxies in its response.
—Joshua Keating, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
Democrats’ impotence had no clearer moment of illustration than Republicans’ willingness to change the rules to avoid a tough vote in the next few weeks.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 12 Mar. 2025
Immediate and permanent effects from treatment often include impotence and incontinence.
—Gina Kolata, New York Times, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for impotence
Philip Elliott, TIME, 24 Feb. 2025
So far, this war has been characterized by stunning Israeli tactical successes, as well as the seeming impotence of Iran and its once vaunted network of regional proxies in its response.
—Joshua Keating, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
Democrats’ impotence had no clearer moment of illustration than Republicans’ willingness to change the rules to avoid a tough vote in the next few weeks.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 12 Mar. 2025
Immediate and permanent effects from treatment often include impotence and incontinence.
—Gina Kolata, New York Times, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for impotence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impotence
inability
Noun
-
Louis Thuillier was distraught by his inability to know the plight of his subjects; to view the photographs from the distance of a century can imbue the viewer with a similar melancholy.—
Ed Caesar,
New Yorker,
13 July 2025
-
Stevenson should be able to take advantage of Zepeda's inability to stave off jabs.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
11 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Impotence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impotence. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.
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