impotent

[ im-puh-tuhnt ]

adjective

1. not potent; lacking power or ability.

   Synonyms: helpless, powerless

2. utterly unable (to do something).

   Synonyms: helpless, powerless

3. without force or effectiveness.

   Synonyms: weak, feeble, ineffective, ineffectual

4. lacking bodily strength or physically helpless.
5. (of a male) unable to attain or sustain a penile erection.
6. (especially of a male) sterile.
7. Obsolete. without restraint.

noun

1. an impotent person:

   therapy for sexual impotents.

impotent

/ ˈɪmpətənt /

adjective

1. when postpositive, often takes an infinitive lacking sufficient strength; powerless
2. (esp of males) unable to perform sexual intercourse See erectile impotence
3. obsolete.
   lacking self-control; unrestrained

Derived Forms

• ˈimpotently, adverb
• ˈimpotence, noun

Other Words From

• impo·tent·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of impotent¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin impotent-, stem of impotēns “without power over oneself or others”; equivalent to im- ² + potent ¹

Example Sentences

They generally do very little about it, which works to Trump’s benefit: He gets to look tough on TV while his opponents seem impotent.

From Slate

Biden imploded and appeared to be impotent before Trump’s barrage of lies and manic energy.

From Salon

The shotgun agreement, accepted by the western Allies, burdened China with yet another national humiliation after eighty years of coercion, extortion, and military defeat at the hands of foreign powers, and people blamed the impotent Beiyang government and the squabbling warlord cliques that ran much of the country for letting it happen.

From Salon

“A complete lack of leadership from an impotent president.”

From New York Times

In the same fell swoop, Biden also made himself look more politically impotent than anything he’s done so far in the Oval — except for, of course, his attempts to pass off chintzy regulatory band-aids as some kind of valiant restoration of abortion access.

From Salon

Related Words

• helpless
• inadequate
• incapable
• incompetent
• ineffective
• ineffectual
• inept
• paralyzed
• powerless
• weak