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
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
Yet the Jets' offense was again impotent.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 19 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for 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
Yet the Jets' offense was again impotent.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 19 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for impotent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impotent
Adjective
-
Gone are the days of matchy-matchy sets, sterile millennial greige, and stark black-and-white color palettes.—
Stephanie Osmanski,
Better Homes & Gardens,
19 June 2026
-
Now, authorities in Texas are releasing sterile flies once more.—
Kara Finnstrom,
CBS News,
18 June 2026
Adjective
-
Over the course of a 60-yard run, Maradona danced past opponents, escaped challenges and left English defenders helpless before beating the goalkeeper with a clinical finish.—
Cesar R. Torres,
The Conversation,
17 June 2026
-
Arturo has grown used to driving by traffic stops, then circling back to move his friends’ and neighbors’ abandoned cars to their helpless families left behind.—
Karen Valby,
Vanity Fair,
16 June 2026
Adjective
-
The missile flew northeast and then banked and began flying in loops for hours over the barren, frozen landscape.—
Geoff Brumfiel,
NPR,
18 June 2026
-
Some would eventually be moved to a cruise ship rented by the government, while others were stationed at nondescript military outposts that sprung up in the barren hills around the edges of Nuuk.—
Joshua Hunt,
Vanity Fair,
17 June 2026
Adjective
-
Earlier this year, Neuralink—the world’s most high-profile and well-funded BCI startup—launched a clinical trial to enable paralyzed patients to output verbal thoughts directly as text or speech.—
Rob Toews,
Forbes.com,
22 June 2026
-
McConnell has always appeared to have a somewhat unsteady gate — a childhood bout of polio left him with a partially paralyzed leg.—
Eric McDaniel,
NPR,
14 June 2026
Adjective
-
But lingering high ticket prices combined with weaker teams might mean sparse attendance.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
19 June 2026
-
Tokyo wants to appear to be fighting a weak yen, while welcoming it in private.—
William Pesek,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Impotent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impotent. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
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