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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
  • Cherished relatives died alone in hospital rooms surrounded by sterile machines and an ever-rotating set of masked medical personnel.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026
  • To start begonias from their tiny seeds, plant in moist, sterile soil and provide indirect light and warmth.
    — Derek Carwood, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of sterile
Adjective
  • Technology can erode privacy, concentrate power, damage the environment, and leave people feeling helpless.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 24 Sep. 2026
  • What bothers Fairchild is the assumption behind it — that the dancers are voiceless and helpless.
    — Maddie Connors, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of helpless
Adjective
  • Later, this same organic material hitched a ride on crashing meteorites to seed a young, barren Earth.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 22 Sep. 2026
  • In one of these journals, called Notebook B, there is an incidental sketch, a few scratched lines like the barren twigs of a winter tree.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of barren
Adjective
  • Awartani was shot in the chest and left paralyzed from the waist down.
    — Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Clancy then jumped from a second-story window, leaving her paralyzed upon impact.
    — CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of paralyzed
Adjective
  • This process can be even more pronounced in smaller galaxies in which the gravitational influence is weaker, and the black holes are less likely to be strongly bound to the galactic center.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Takaichi’s spending plans have drawn attention, raising concerns of debt sustainability and a weaker yen which have pushed Japanese bond yields to multidecade highs.
    — Chloe Taylor,Lee Ying Shan,Fred Imbert, CNBC, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of weak

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impotent
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Cite this Entry

“Impotent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impotent. Accessed 30 Sep. 2026.

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