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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of impotent
However, as Google points out, the evolution of quantum computers threatens to make such protections impotent.
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Davey Winder, Forbes, 18 Sep. 2024
The town’s working-class citizens are sick of being neglected and left in impotent chaos.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Sep. 2024
Robinson’s obsessive and volatile (but also hyper-earnest) screen persona so perfectly crystallizes a modern form of impotent male rage that it’s become a language unto itself on the internet, where everyone leads with their id.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 10 Sep. 2024
As Israel’s current war in Gaza has unfolded, Abbas has remained impotent and irrelevant, and even his fiefdom in the West Bank has begun to crumble.
—Khaled Elgindy, Foreign Affairs, 30 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for impotent 
Davey Winder, Forbes, 18 Sep. 2024
The town’s working-class citizens are sick of being neglected and left in impotent chaos.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Sep. 2024
Robinson’s obsessive and volatile (but also hyper-earnest) screen persona so perfectly crystallizes a modern form of impotent male rage that it’s become a language unto itself on the internet, where everyone leads with their id.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 10 Sep. 2024
As Israel’s current war in Gaza has unfolded, Abbas has remained impotent and irrelevant, and even his fiefdom in the West Bank has begun to crumble.
—Khaled Elgindy, Foreign Affairs, 30 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for impotent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impotent
Adjective
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Plastics became indispensable in healthcare, enabling sterile equipment, syringes, and life-saving devices like incubators and blood bags.David Carlin, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024
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While the soaring space and large walls of windows certainly let the outside in, modernist homes can often lean sterile if not outfitted with an injection of soft textures and color.Juliet Izon, Architectural Digest, 2 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Elizabeth Taylor felt helpless learning a close friend's fate along with the world.Angela Andaloro, People.com, 19 Oct. 2024
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Zimbardo spent the rest of his career promoting his theory that humans are helpless against the evil that lies in wait within us to be triggered by circumstance.Judy Berman, TIME, 29 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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So why are women losing ground? Dec. 11, 2024 California was an oasis this November in a largely barren Democratic landscape.Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 15 Dec. 2024
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The most notorious gulag lies in the barren, rocky hills outside the capital, Damascus.Richard Engel, NBC News, 10 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Despite the prime minister’s assurances, some state workers failed to return to their jobs and a U.N. official said the government remains paralyzed.Sarah el Deeb, Los Angeles Times, 9 Dec. 2024
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There was the woman who came to every meeting combative and quick-tempered (fight), the one who broke down in tears at every one-on-one and eventually took extended leave (flight), and the one who seemed paralyzed by the sheer volume of work (freeze).Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 7 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Capasa noted that a negative third quarter impacted by weak internal demand, the slowdown of purchases from Chinese customers and overall geopolitical instability kept worsening the cautious scenario already registered in the first half of the year.Sandra Salibian, WWD, 11 Dec. 2024
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Scene-to-scene continuity is typically weak and telling.Lance Eliot, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near impotent
Cite this Entry
“Impotent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impotent. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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