impotent
adjective
im·po·tent
ˈim-pə-tənt 
1
2
obsolete
: incapable of self-restraint : ungovernable
impotent
noun
impotently
adverb
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A police department may be impotent to stop the flow of drugs into a neighborhood. A group of countries may be impotent to force another country to change its human-rights policies. The impotence of a prime minister may be shown by her inability to get an important piece of legislation passed. Impotent and impotence may also have a special meaning, when they refer to a man's inability to have sexual intercourse.
Examples of impotent in a Sentence
an impotent ruler who was just a figurehead
Recent Examples on the Web
Iran Hostage Crisis The seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran by radical student followers of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini on Nov. 4, 1979, and the subsequent siege made the Carter administration seem impotent.
—
Marty Steinberg, CNBC, 29 Dec. 2024
People become impotent in the face of new technology only if society permits it.
—Diane Coyle, Foreign Affairs, 22 Aug. 2023
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
The Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission typically choose to be impotent.
—Gary Franks, Boston Herald, 21 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for impotent 
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Marty Steinberg, CNBC, 29 Dec. 2024
People become impotent in the face of new technology only if society permits it.
—Diane Coyle, Foreign Affairs, 22 Aug. 2023
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
The Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission typically choose to be impotent.
—Gary Franks, Boston Herald, 21 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for impotent
Dictionary Entries Near impotent
Cite this Entry
“Impotent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/impotent. Accessed 24 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
impotent
adjective
im·po·tent
ˈim-pət-ənt
1
: lacking in power or strength
2
: incapable of engaging in sexual intercourse
impotently
adverb
Medical Definition
impotent
adjective
im·po·tent
ˈim-pət-ənt
1
: not potent
an impotent vaccine
2
: unable to engage in sexual intercourse because of inability to have and maintain an erection
broadly
: sterile
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