impotent

adjective

ˈim-pə-tənt How to pronounce impotent (audio)
Definition of impotentnext
1
as in sterile
not able to produce fruit or offspring most mules are impotent

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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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of impotent Decadence is the vanity of bodybuilders made impotent by steroids. — Olivia Kan-Sperling, Artforum, 2 May 2026 The Iranian regime is being rendered impotent. — FOXNews.com, 19 Mar. 2026 Even in places that offer highly advanced health care, doctors have felt impotent trying to undo the damage when these horrors return. — Patricia Callahan, ProPublica, 19 Mar. 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for impotent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impotent
  1. sterile
  2. helpless
  3. barren
  4. paralyzed
  5. weak
Adjective
  • Ted Lasso, forever more interested in preserving an atmosphere of sterile niceness than grappling with complex humanity, isn’t it.
    — Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 5 Aug. 2026
  • West designs and manufactures elastomer stoppers and seals that keep vials sterile, prefillable syringe systems and self-injection cartridges, and wearable patch injectors for continuous drug delivery.
    — Harvey Stober, CNBC, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of sterile
Adjective
  • And the sport — players in uniform and executives in suits alike — all march toward the cliff in shackles of their own design, seemingly helpless to find a compromise.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 5 Aug. 2026
  • The helpless young tailor of twenty-one years of age had a keen nose.
    — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of helpless
Adjective
  • John Mozeliak just had the best day by an Angels front-office member in about a decade, replenishing a barren farm system with nine prospects after a handful of trades.
    — Levi Weaver, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Sprawling acres of largely barren farmland, still owned by the sugarcane plantations that dominated the islands’ economy for a century, line the side of the highway here, gently sloping toward the craggy green cliffs of the Waimea Canyon.
    — Guthrie Scrimgeour, Rolling Stone, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of barren
Adjective
  • Implantable systems that enable paralyzed people to operate computers, wheelchairs, cursors, and other equipment with just their thoughts have been shown by Neuralink and other initiatives.
    — Chuck Brooks, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Karwowski came across his photo on social media and immediately recognized the seriousness of his condition, having previously cared for a paralyzed cat.
    — Pat Mueller, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of paralyzed
Adjective
  • Similar to Spokane, the windiest periods will be during the daytime from Friday through Sunday, with weaker winds each night.
    — Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The next step came in 2009, when mathematicians Jordan Ellenberg, Akshay Venkatesh and Craig Westerland posted a preprint paper that claimed to prove a weaker version of the conjecture for every prime.
    — Lyndie Chiou, Scientific American, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of weak

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Cite this Entry

“Impotent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impotent. Accessed 12 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of impotent for Spanish Speakers

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