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 is different from the problem in the last half of May and first half of June when they were rendered impotent against a string of good starters.
—
Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Aug. 2025
This kind of data delusion and fact fiction is, on the one hand, very sad, the mark of a man too fragile, impotent and incompetent to accept reality or withstand criticism.
—S.e. Cupp, New York Daily News, 7 Aug. 2025
More broadly, though, clever and indirect parodies of Trump have come to feel distinctly impotent.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 7 Aug. 2025
His wife is resting her hands on his shoulders, with her head turned upward, a gesture of impotent torment.
—Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 2 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for impotent
Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Aug. 2025
This kind of data delusion and fact fiction is, on the one hand, very sad, the mark of a man too fragile, impotent and incompetent to accept reality or withstand criticism.
—S.e. Cupp, New York Daily News, 7 Aug. 2025
More broadly, though, clever and indirect parodies of Trump have come to feel distinctly impotent.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 7 Aug. 2025
His wife is resting her hands on his shoulders, with her head turned upward, a gesture of impotent torment.
—Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 2 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for impotent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impotent
Adjective
-
To combat the spread of the flies, the USDA disperses sterile flies into the area to stop the mating, a scientific method known as sterile insect technique (SIT).—
Lori Ann LaRocco,
CNBC,
21 Oct. 2025
-
Not seeing the bigger picture led to gray kitchens that felt sterile, flat, or at odds with their own style.—
Heather Bien,
Southern Living,
17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
These brawls further eroded democratic norms, while driving voters away from left-wing and moderate parties who seemed helpless to halt them.—
Time,
Time,
23 Oct. 2025
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She was resigned to her fate, helpless with indignation.—
Jack O'Connor,
Outdoor Life,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
An arid, barren landscape with extreme temperature swings from 45 to -40 degrees Celsius (113 to -40 degrees Fahrenheit).—
Rosanna Philpott,
CNN Money,
24 Oct. 2025
-
There's a naivety and sweetness to them that's ripped away in an instant when the two passionately make love in the barren house, the inciting incident for the demise of their relationship.—
Billie Melissa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
In addition, the left side of his face became paralyzed.—
Kimberly Nordyke,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Oct. 2025
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In August, Elon Musk’s Neuralink expanded to the UK with a clinical study testing its brain chip to help paralyzed patients control devices through thought.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Relief on that levy—which stacks on top of Liberation Day tariffs—could be a boon for the Asian nation at a time when domestic demand is weak.—
Bloomberg,
Fortune,
27 Oct. 2025
-
There, interactions between streams of liquid iron generate a magnetic field one quintillion times more powerful than that of an ordinary lab magnet (but thousands of times weaker than the Sun’s).—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Impotent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impotent. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.
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