1
as in sterile
not able to produce fruit or offspring
most mules are impotent
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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Recent Examples of impotent
The old president is impotent, the new president is embryonic, Congress is inert, and the press has one eye on the mistletoe.
—
Charles C. W. Cooke, National Review, 16 Dec. 2024
And Musk’s theatricalities are impotent: Government spending will grow as long as baby boomers continue to retire, the population ages and Congress continues to enlarge the national debt with gargantuan budget deficits.
—George Will, Twin Cities, 20 Mar. 2025
This Gilded Age rule—that those who act violently against individuals inherit the mantle of religious martyrdom, while those who act practically to improve a system are dismissed as impotent proceduralists—is visible in the continued appeal of the anarchist imagination.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2025
Were Cocoa’s leaders impotent in convincing Orlando Health to repair it, in order to keep a commitment to Cocoa’s health?
—Letters To The Editor, Orlando Sentinel, 27 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for impotent
Charles C. W. Cooke, National Review, 16 Dec. 2024
And Musk’s theatricalities are impotent: Government spending will grow as long as baby boomers continue to retire, the population ages and Congress continues to enlarge the national debt with gargantuan budget deficits.
—George Will, Twin Cities, 20 Mar. 2025
This Gilded Age rule—that those who act violently against individuals inherit the mantle of religious martyrdom, while those who act practically to improve a system are dismissed as impotent proceduralists—is visible in the continued appeal of the anarchist imagination.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2025
Were Cocoa’s leaders impotent in convincing Orlando Health to repair it, in order to keep a commitment to Cocoa’s health?
—Letters To The Editor, Orlando Sentinel, 27 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for impotent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impotent
Adjective
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Avoid sterile, clinical environments that can be intimidating.—
Ajay Prasad,
Forbes,
21 Mar. 2025
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The Pitt is set in Pittsburgh, not Chicago, and the season unfolds in real time, with overlapping crises ratcheting up tension as the cast careens around the sterile white set.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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More generally, some people are concerned that becoming too reliant on AI for menial and routine tasks could lead to us becoming over-reliant and helpless, perhaps even to the detriment of human problem-solving or decision-making ability.—
Bernard Marr,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
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Asking for help isn’t the same as being helpless, Pryor noted.—
Megan Sauer,
CNBC,
11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Charlie Parker’s Favorite Painting (1946) indicates Abercrombie’s engagement with social issues: a yellow noose, nearly fluorescent against a dishwater sky, dangles from a barren tree—an oblique lament from the doggedly antiracist Abercrombie.—
Jeremy Lybarger,
ARTnews.com,
26 Mar. 2025
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Mass Effect's core loop doesn't benefit from huge barren landscapes that are devoid of detail.—
Fran Ruiz,
Space.com,
25 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Allen survived but was left permanently paralyzed, according to police.—
Lauren Liebhaber,
Miami Herald,
26 Mar. 2025
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According to the release, any savings from ending this type of care will go to supporting paralyzed veterans and amputees.—
Jaden Amos,
Axios,
18 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Dell Technologies’ balance sheet appears relatively weak.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
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Meta Chief Legal Officer Jennifer Newstead called the case weak and a deterrent to tech investment in a blog post on Sunday.—
Jody Godoy,
USA Today,
14 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Impotent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impotent. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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