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
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
Their refusal to conform or obey is ultimately an impotent gesture against forces larger than themselves.
—Jake Cole, IndieWire, 18 Aug. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for impotent
Rafael Perez, Oc Register, 20 Aug. 2025
Their refusal to conform or obey is ultimately an impotent gesture against forces larger than themselves.
—Jake Cole, IndieWire, 18 Aug. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for impotent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impotent
Adjective
-
Rockets and satellites were historically mostly built in massive, sterile places where engineers in Tyvek suits moved cautiously around intricate components.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
-
Intelligence Profiles That Foster Innovation At GAIME Conference, creativity is the focus, not sterile conference rooms.—
Connie Etemadi,
USA Today,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
People eventually outgrow the helpless-baby stage.—
Anna Louie Sussman,
The Atlantic,
7 Nov. 2025
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Without money and without a means to earn it, women are helpless to determine the course of their own lives.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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The barren Martian landscape stretches as far as the eye can see, interrupted only occasionally by the faintest of tire tracks marking the unpaved road on Libya’s north-south route.—
Mick Krever,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
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In the wild, macaques can traverse miles of novel terrain each week and socialize through grooming, but in many laboratories they are isolated in barren cages no bigger than a washing machine.—
Ava Kofman,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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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
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Western countries could exploit weak points in supply chains for many of Russia's advanced fighter jets, including by tightening up sanctions as Ukraine strikes Russia's industrial facilities, according to a new report.—
Ellie Cook,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Nov. 2025
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Respiratory difficulty, constipation, poor feeding, drooping eyelids and a weak and altered cry are among the symptoms of infant botulism.—
Chad Murphy,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
10 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Impotent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impotent. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.
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