IMPUISSANT Synonyms: 55 Similar and Opposite Words

impuissant

adjective

(ˌ)im-ˈpwi-sᵊnt

Definition of impuissant

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for impuissant

Adjective

What bothers Fairchild is the assumption behind it — that the dancers are voiceless and helpless.

— Maddie Connors, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Y’know, the two living, breathing, helpless children forced to sit idle while their mother and (almost) step-father constantly and brazenly risk abandoning them.

— Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of helpless

Adjective

Lasko suffered the spinal cord injury in a collision with a teammate June 30 that left him paralyzed from the chest down, with both arms affected, too.

— ABC News, ABC News, 16 Sep. 2026
The former labor and delivery nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston then jumped from a second-story window in an apparent suicide attempt, which left her paralyzed from the waist down.

— Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 13 Sep. 2026

Definition of paralyzed

Adjective

But the White House Correspondents’ Dinner has devolved significantly since its glory days atop the comedy calendar, proving to be a weaker platform for political satire than the Onion’s takeover of Infowars.

— Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 21 Sep. 2026
Production disruptions and weak output in Chile, the world’s biggest producer, sent prices to record highs, with the US accumulating huge stockpiles and smelters in China forced to turn to scraps to meet that country’s industrial needs.

— Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of weak

Adjective

The unofficial end of summer left some boaters in Minnesota high and dry over Labor Day weekend.

— Nick Lunemann, CBS News, 8 Sep. 2026
While the official logline for Tracker‘s fourth season hasn’t been released, fans can expect to witness the fallout from Russell’s decision to leave Colter high and dry at the end of season 3.

— Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 15 July 2026

Definition of high and dry

Adjective

If he were found incompetent, he would have been sent to a treatment facility until he could be reevaluated.

— Cristóbal Reyes, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 Sep. 2026
Don Adams led the slapstick spy spoof as the brainy but hopelessly incompetent Agent Smart, starring alongside Barbara Feldon as the ever-capable Agent 99.

— Jack Dunn, Variety, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of incompetent

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.

Browse Nearby Words

impuissance

impuissant

impulse

See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

Style

“Impuissant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impuissant. Accessed 24 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of impuissant

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

pundit

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes