1
as in sterile
not able to produce fruit or offspring
most mules are impotent
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in helpless
unable to act or achieve one's purpose
an impotent ruler who was just a figurehead
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
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
-
Designer Lauren Saab chooses White Dove for a softness that never feels sterile or flat.
-
Talc litigation also shows why juries do not evaluate causation in a sterile scientific vacuum.
Adjective
-
But when his son Naseer was born in May 2025, Ajas Ahmed had never felt so helpless.
-
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.
Adjective
-
The fires eviscerated many of the plants and trees in and around the burn zones, leaving behind barren lots and charred swaths of parkland.
-
There are quite a few interesting options this summer, especially compared to last year’s barren goalie landscape that was headlined by veteran backups.
Adjective
-
The teen, who was crossing the street at the time, was run over twice by the truck, causing catastrophic injuries that left him paralyzed from the waist down, local ABC affiliate WKBW reported.
-
Surely there were those in attendance, and those watching, who conjured horrible thoughts of Patriots receiver Darryl Stingley being left permanently paralyzed from the chest down after taking a vicious hit from the Oakland Raiders’ Jack Tatum during a 1978 preseason game.
Adjective
-
Depressed wages, a weak currency and hyperinflation have continued to make life difficult for ordinary Venezuelans, many of whom struggle to afford basic goods.
-
There, the Sox scored on a weak, off-line throw from shallow left fielder José Caballero.
Cite this Entry
“Impotent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impotent. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
