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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of impotent
The result continued a stretch of only one win in six across all competitions for a Miami team that began the funk looking impotent in attack, and has now resumed its 2024 habit of being wide open in defense.
—
Ian Nicholas Quillen, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025
The trade immediately improved the Kings’ offense and rescued an impotent power play, helping win 17 of its final 22 games to place second in the Pacific Division, the best finish of Blake’s term as general manager.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 5 May 2025
Marching in demonstrations and appearing on news programs quickly came to feel impotent.
—Annie Hylton, The New Yorker, 11 Jan. 2025
Certain players, without their hair, could appear gaunt and impotent.
—Zach Helfand, The New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for impotent
Ian Nicholas Quillen, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025
The trade immediately improved the Kings’ offense and rescued an impotent power play, helping win 17 of its final 22 games to place second in the Pacific Division, the best finish of Blake’s term as general manager.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 5 May 2025
Marching in demonstrations and appearing on news programs quickly came to feel impotent.
—Annie Hylton, The New Yorker, 11 Jan. 2025
Certain players, without their hair, could appear gaunt and impotent.
—Zach Helfand, The New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for impotent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impotent
Adjective
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Rollins said the facility will be completed by the end of 2025, allowing USDA to aerially disperse sterile male flies at the border and northern Mexico to mate with wild female flies, resulting in no offspring.—
Jenna Prestininzi,
Freep.com,
26 Aug. 2025
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Combatting the screwworm The U.S. Department of Agriculture will build a facility in Texas, the largest cattle-producing state, that will produce sterile flies to try and keep the flies' population from growing.—
Julia Gomez,
USA Today,
26 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Not long after, Brady looked helpless on his final snap as a Patriot, standing at the 1-yard line with nine seconds left because of that maneuver, which Stretch stole from Brady’s head coach and turned against them both.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
7 Aug. 2025
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As for the Aces, Vegas has lost two in a row and looked helpless last time out, losing 109-78 to the Minnesota Lynx.—
Kilty Cleary,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 July 2025
Adjective
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Those fleeting, vibrant days are the perfect time for hiking through a mix of wooded mountainside, barren volcanic landscapes, and marshland, with stops at some of Japan’s most rustic hot springs.—
Rob Goss,
AFAR Media,
26 Aug. 2025
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Whether nestled in lush forests or barren deserts, these towns bear the scars of time, showcasing human ingenuity while reminding us of the inevitability of decay.—
Kieron Marchese,
Architectural Digest,
25 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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An unchanging body map could be a huge boost for the emerging field of brain-computer interfaces, which can allow a paralyzed person to speak or move a robotic arm.—
Jon Hamilton,
NPR,
27 Aug. 2025
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That information led the Tribune to a relative, from the Chicago area, who provided the name of a paralyzed uncle who had been injured during WWII.—
Christy Gutowski,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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And if tariffs only cause a one-time jump in prices, weaker purchasing power could slow the economy.—
Raul Elizalde,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
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Paradise lost Alaska and Crimea remain linked in some ways today, both viewed as historic Russian regions lost by weak leaders – Yeltsin, the first president of independent Russia, is reviled for recognizing Crimea as part of Ukraine after the USSR collapsed.—
Dan Morrison,
USA Today,
14 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Impotent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impotent. Accessed 3 Sep. 2025.
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