Dictionary.com

impotent

[ im-puh-tuhnt ]
/ ˈɪm pə tənt /
See synonyms for impotent on Thesaurus.com

adjective

noun

an impotent person: therapy for sexual impotents.

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Origin of impotent

1350–1400; Middle English <Latin impotent- (stem of impotēns) without power over oneself or others. See im-2, potent1

OTHER WORDS FROM impotent

im·po·tent·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to impotent

unproductive, inadequate, inept, incompetent, ineffective, ineffectual, paralyzed, incapable, helpless, sterile, powerless, barren, crippled, dud, effete, enervated, feeble, frail, gutless, incapacitated

Example sentences from the Web for impotent

British Dictionary definitions for impotent

impotent
/ (ˈɪmpətənt) /

adjective

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

Derived forms of impotent

impotence, impotency or impotentness, nounimpotently, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for impotent

impotent
[ ĭm′pə-tənt ]

adj.

Incapable of sexual intercourse, often because of an inability to achieve or sustain an erection.
Sterile. Used of males.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.