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
Derringer, who’s only used to prop guns, becomes an amusing walking metaphor for impotence disguised by nationalistic fervor.
—
Siddhant Adlakha, IndieWire, 27 June 2025
And therein lies a sense of impotence, because our ability to discern the consequential ghoulishness of this nation’s policies–LOL that’s crazy!–doesn’t in and of itself constitute resistance.
—Lauren Michele Jackson, The New Yorker, 27 Feb. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for impotence
Siddhant Adlakha, IndieWire, 27 June 2025
And therein lies a sense of impotence, because our ability to discern the consequential ghoulishness of this nation’s policies–LOL that’s crazy!–doesn’t in and of itself constitute resistance.
—Lauren Michele Jackson, The New Yorker, 27 Feb. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for impotence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impotence
inability
Noun
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Part of the scene’s inability to keep the conveyor belt of stars rolling is that the infrastructure that built old Atlanta isn’t as strong, with gentrification and heavy policing uprooting the city’s cultural landscape.—
Andre Gee,
Rolling Stone,
7 Aug. 2025
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In April, Bill Owens, the executive producer of 60 Minutes, resigned, citing his inability to make decisions free from corporate control.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
7 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Impotence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impotence. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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