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
  • For years, the only factory breeding sterile flies in the Western Hemisphere was in Panama, but the USDA invested $21 million to convert a site in southern Mexico from breeding fruit flies to recently start breeding screwworm flies.
    — John Hanna, Fortune, 8 July 2026
  • The release, which took place in Rosemont, marked the launch of the sterile insect technique program.
    — Alula Alderson, Sacbee.com, 8 July 2026
Definition of sterile
Adjective
  • Bernstein plays with that distance like a telephone cord wrapped around her fingers, and Eleni — played by the excellent newcomer Cemre Paksoy, powerfully helpless — only frays even more as the receiver is brought near the hook.
    — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 9 July 2026
  • The leading interpretation is that Smilodon delivered a single precise bite to the throat or belly, severing something vital in a target that was already helpless.
    — Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
Definition of helpless
Adjective
  • Besides, nobody was going to believe that humanity's nemesis hailed from Mars after the Viking landers had sent back photos of a barren, dead world.
    — Richard Edwards, Space.com, 4 July 2026
  • Its location on barren, massive Fort Bliss land also allowed for a space that could hold up to 10,000 unauthorized immigrants at a time, more than any other facility in the country.
    — Perla Trevizo, ProPublica, 3 July 2026
Definition of barren
Adjective
  • Yuba City resident Michelle Reinhart said the disease left her essentially paralyzed, unable to move her hands or head for about two weeks after contracting the disease in 2015.
    — Alula Alderson, Sacbee.com, 14 July 2026
  • His fixation on the bill — which lacks enough GOP support in the Senate — has undermined unrelated Republican priorities in both chambers and nearly paralyzed legislative business in the House.
    — Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 13 July 2026
Definition of paralyzed
Adjective
  • Still, the opposite tack—sanctions and isolation—has neither made the Iranian regime weaker nor made its behavior better.
    — Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026
  • And it should never be used to paper over weak management, chronic overload, or unresolved conflict.
    — Rick Tollakson, Forbes.com, 8 July 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 14 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of impotent for Spanish Speakers

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