as in helpless
unable to act or achieve one's purpose
claims that such restrictions on military interventions on foreign soil would render the nation an impuissant giant on the world stage
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Recent Examples of impuissant
The failsafe option of fake news
Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the impuissant opposition, settled down in a comfortable chair, and readied himself for his regular, televised roasting.
—
Isobel Thompson, The Hive, 5 Apr. 2017
Isobel Thompson, The Hive, 5 Apr. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impuissant
Adjective
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Volantis, whose seven shutout innings were achieved with remarkable ease, is the latest Texas arm to render the opposition helpless.—
David Eckert,
Austin American Statesman,
23 Feb. 2026
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The timing of this recent turn to tanking is just another example of the helpless, tireless tardiness that has plagued the Karnišovas era in Chicago.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The Shanghai startup is making progress on its human trials, noting that a paralyzed patient could control a computer cursor less than a week after implantation.—
Andrea Guzmán,
Austin American Statesman,
27 Feb. 2026
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The crash left him paralyzed from the neck down.—
Madeleine Wright,
CBS News,
25 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Taking new measurements, the researchers saw that as fluid gushed between cells, creating indentations in their cell membranes, bubbles mostly bulged into weaker cells.—
Clare Watson,
Quanta Magazine,
27 Feb. 2026
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Trump suggested in the aftermath of that raid that military action in Cuba might not be necessary because the island’s economy was weak enough — particularly in the absence of oil shipments from Venezuela that stopped after Maduro was taken into custody — to soon collapse on its own.—
Will Weissert,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Kiffin instantly became the most hated man in Oxford after leaving the Rebels high and dry just as the College Football Playoff was set to begin, accepting a contract reportedly worth nearly $100 million.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
15 Feb. 2026
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In response to these international deals leaving the U.S. high and dry, the Trump administration announced a new trade agreement with India on Monday.—
Tom Zirpoli,
Baltimore Sun,
3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Like the poliziotteschi films of Fernando Di Leo (1932-2003), Portobello takes us to a country where the police, at best, are incompetent, and the criminal underworld has its tentacles in all walks of life.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
1 Mar. 2026
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Because of the differences they are labeled as evil, incompetent, corrupt or some other trumped up charge such as antisemitic.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
28 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Impuissant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impuissant. Accessed 5 Mar. 2026.
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