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
This kind of data delusion and fact fiction is, on the one hand, very sad, the mark of a man too fragile, impotent and incompetent to accept reality or withstand criticism.
—
S.e. Cupp, New York Daily News, 7 Aug. 2025
His wife is resting her hands on his shoulders, with her head turned upward, a gesture of impotent torment.
—Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 2 Aug. 2025
The result: impotent adult flies that cause female mates to lay unfertilized eggs.
—Kameryn Griesser, CNN Money, 9 July 2025
This French film featured the sexiest woman in the world at that time, Brigitte Bardot, who appears in the nude and whose husband might be impotent.
—Suzanne Jill Levine
june 30, Literary Hub, 30 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for impotent
S.e. Cupp, New York Daily News, 7 Aug. 2025
His wife is resting her hands on his shoulders, with her head turned upward, a gesture of impotent torment.
—Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 2 Aug. 2025
The result: impotent adult flies that cause female mates to lay unfertilized eggs.
—Kameryn Griesser, CNN Money, 9 July 2025
This French film featured the sexiest woman in the world at that time, Brigitte Bardot, who appears in the nude and whose husband might be impotent.
—Suzanne Jill Levine
june 30, Literary Hub, 30 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for impotent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impotent
Adjective
-
The sterile cockpit rule prohibits pilots from engaging in conversations unrelated to operating the aircraft when flying below 10,000 feet.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Sep. 2025
-
These aren’t sterile operations run by committees.—
Joel Goldstein,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
This burden of additional responsibilities and emotional labor with less resources lead many women to feel helpless, leaving divorce as the only escape.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
-
The sunbathers of sleepy Amity Bay are helpless against the unexpected great white shark that hunts their coasts; Spielberg’s talent for suspense, effective horror shocks, and ingenious reinvention of the classic animal-attack movie remain as impressive as ever.—
Christina Newland,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The team wasn’t able to completely rule out that TRAPPIST-1e is a barren rock like its inner siblings, however, partly because of interference from its hyperactive star.—
Jonathan O'Callaghan,
Scientific American,
8 Sep. 2025
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The local Rite Aid was getting ready to shut down, with barren shelves and 75% off all items, while commerce elsewhere in the town of less than 3,000 people wasn’t exactly bustling.—
David Mark,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Feeling paralyzed in your job search?—
Maria Gracia Santillana Linares,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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Her son was left paralyzed from the mid-chest down, had to have his left leg amputated at the knee and two thirds of his bowel removed — and almost a month later, is still in the hospital, where he is intubated and fighting an infection.—
Janelle Griffith,
PEOPLE,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The Royals made a lot of weak contact, which resulted in a mix of groundouts.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Last week, a weaker-than-expected jobs report added to expectations of an imminent rate cut by the central bank.—
Chloe Taylor,
CNBC,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Impotent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impotent. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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