1
as in sterile
not able to produce fruit or offspring
most mules are impotent
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in helpless
unable to act or achieve one's purpose
an impotent ruler who was just a figurehead
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of impotent
This unsettling thriller about impotent (emotionally, literally) university professor Ali (Turkish star Ekin Koç), on the path to vengeance after the suspicious death of his mother, scored strong reviews (including my own) and the World Cinema Directing Award out of the Utah festival.
—
Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 14 Nov. 2025
Yet the Jets' offense was again impotent.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 19 Oct. 2025
Ethics without efficiency are impotent.
—Karlo Tanjuakio, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
What the Texas Legislature is doing is indefensible – gerrymandering necessarily involves taking portions of the electorate and rendering their voices impotent.
—Rafael Perez, Oc Register, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for impotent
Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 14 Nov. 2025
Yet the Jets' offense was again impotent.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 19 Oct. 2025
Ethics without efficiency are impotent.
—Karlo Tanjuakio, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
What the Texas Legislature is doing is indefensible – gerrymandering necessarily involves taking portions of the electorate and rendering their voices impotent.
—Rafael Perez, Oc Register, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for impotent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impotent
Adjective
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Last week, as cases continued to spread in Tamaulipas, the USDA began releasing some sterile flies along the state’s border with Texas.—
Bloomberg Wire,
Dallas Morning News,
7 Feb. 2026
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Dell Children's had to build an area of the hospital that would have specialized airflow to maintain a sterile environment and keep viruses and bacteria out.—
Nicole Villalpando,
Austin American Statesman,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Both Tony and Dick are helpless children of the American Dream — one borne of the system, the other the boss’s literal son, each at the mercy of forces far greater than himself.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
5 Feb. 2026
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Footage then showed McCray carrying her, helpless and disoriented, to a laundry room on Connecticut Street.—
Angie DiMichele,
Sun Sentinel,
3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The Leafs’ priority at the trade deadline must be restocking their barren cupboards with high draft picks and intriguing prospects.—
Joshua Kloke,
New York Times,
4 Feb. 2026
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In 2016, a team led by Su Yinquan, dean of forestry at Northwest A&F University, leased 14 hectares of barren Gobi land in Xinjiang to test whether Duzhong could survive and grow there.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
31 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Parents reorganizing their lives around a paralyzed son made complete sense to me.—
Coley Gallagher,
The Orlando Sentinel,
7 Feb. 2026
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Cuba’s sugar industry is nearly paralyzed because there is no diesel for the tractors and trucks needed to harvest and transport cane to the mills.—
Andres Oppenheimer,
Miami Herald,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Defense lawyers contend these cases should never have been brought, with weak evidence that juries consistently reject, prompting legal experts to question the prosecution strategy.—
Brittny Mejia,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
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But some indications suggest that the jobs report could come in weaker than expected.—
Sarah Min,
CNBC,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Impotent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impotent. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.
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