impotent

From Old French impotent, from Latin impotēns, from in- (expresses negation) + potēns (“powerful”).

• IPA^(key): /ˈɪm.pə.tənt/, /ˈɪm.pə.tɪnt/

  • Audio (Southern England):

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• Audio (US):

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impotent (comparative more impotent, superlative most impotent)

1. Lacking physical strength or vigor; weak

   Synonyms: feeble, puny, weak

2. Lacking in power, as to act effectively; helpless

   Synonyms: helpless, powerless

   • 1984, Freeman J. Dyson, Weapons and Hope:

     Technology without morality is barbarous; morality without technology is impotent

3. Incapable of sexual intercourse, often because of an inability to achieve or sustain an erection, having impotentia coeundi
4. (of a male) Sterile
5. (obsolete) Lacking self-restraint

   Synonym: incontinent

   • a. 1701 (date written), John Dryden, “The First Book of Homer’s Ilias”, in The Miscellaneous Works of John Dryden, […], volume IV, London: […] J[acob] and R[ichard] Tonson, […], published 1760, →OCLC, page 444:

     Then, impotent of tongue (her ſilence broke) / Thus turbulent in rattling tone ſhe ſpoke.

• potent

• impotence

impotent (plural impotents)

1. A man who has erectile dysfunction

   Synonym: wet noodle

   Antonym: priapist

2. An impotent or powerless person

Borrowed from Latin impotentem.

• IPA^(key): (Central) [im.puˈten]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic, Valencia) [im.poˈtent]

impotent m or f (masculine and feminine plural impotents)

1. (medicine) impotent
2. impotent, powerless, helpless

• “impotent”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007

Borrowed from Latin impotens.

• IPA^(key): /ɪm.poːˈtɛnt/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: im‧po‧tent
• Rhymes: -ɛnt

impotent (not comparable)

1. impotent (lacking force or vigor)

   Synonym: krachteloos

   Antonyms: potent, krachtig

2. (sexuality, of males) impotent (sexually incapable)

   Antonyms: potent, vruchtbaar

   Hypernyms: steriel, onvruchtbaar

• IPA^(key): /ɛ̃.pɔ.tɑ̃/
• Homophone: impotents

impotent (feminine impotente, masculine plural impotents, feminine plural impotentes)

1. infirm, disabled
2. impotent

• “impotent”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

• IPA^(key): /ˈɪmpotɛnt/

• Audio:

  (file)

impotent (strong nominative masculine singular impotenter, comparative impotenter, superlative am impotentesten)

1. Antonym: potent

• “impotent” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “impotent” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon

impotent m (feminine singular impotente, masculine plural impotens, feminine plural impotentes)

1. impotent (incapable of sexual intercourse)

Learned borrowing from Latin impotēns.

• IPA^(key): /imˈpɔ.tɛnt/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔtɛnt
• Syllabification: im‧po‧tent

impotent m pers

1. (pathology) impotent (man who has erectile dysfunction)
2. (derogatory) impotent (person incapable of taking a particular type of action that the situation requires)

   Synonym: eunuch

• impotent in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• impotent in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Borrowed from French impotent, from Latin impotens.

impotent m or n (feminine singular impotentă, masculine plural impotenți, feminine and neuter plural impotente)

1. impotent

• “impotent”, in DEX online—Dicționare ale limbii române (Dictionaries of the Romanian language) (in Romanian), 2004–2025

impotent (not comparable)

1. impotent (incapable of sexual intercourse due to being unable to get an erection or the like)

   Antonym: potent

2. impotent (powerless)

• impotens

• impotent in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• impotent in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)