as in helpless
unable to act or achieve one's purpose
claims that such restrictions on military interventions on foreign soil would render the nation an impuissant giant on the world stage
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Recent Examples of impuissant
The failsafe option of fake news
Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the impuissant opposition, settled down in a comfortable chair, and readied himself for his regular, televised roasting.
—
Isobel Thompson, The Hive, 5 Apr. 2017
Isobel Thompson, The Hive, 5 Apr. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impuissant
Adjective
-
The Confederacy would not win foreign recognition, leaving it helpless against a Union blockade.—
Jamelle Bouie,
Mercury News,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Schools, though, aren’t helpless.—
Kate Armanini,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
That 1952 outbreak killed some 3,000 people and left more than 20,000 paralyzed.—
Tom Bartlett,
The Atlantic,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Christopher died from cardiac arrest resulting from sepsis at the age of 52 in 2004, nine years after suffering a horseback riding accident and becoming paralyzed from the neck down.—
Erin Clack,
PEOPLE,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Trump has directed his ire toward the Department of Labor agency ever since former Commissioner Erika McEntarfer authorized the release of a weak jobs report last summer.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
31 Jan. 2026
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Procedures harden, decision paths lengthen, and people wait for permission rather than acting on weak signals from the environment.—
Mark Murphy,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
New Year's bowl game upsets left several College Football Playoff favorites high and dry, and now, the semifinal opponents are set.—
Julianna Duennes Russ,
Austin American Statesman,
2 Jan. 2026
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It’s assumed that these robots will take over the work of employees, leaving humans high and dry—but Huang is optimistic that the tech will create new opportunities, especially for technicians.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
8 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Oil from free America bailed out the virtue-signaling, totally incompetent Democrats here.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
1 Feb. 2026
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That means the former voters died, moved away, registered in another state, were convicted of a felony crime, deemed incompetent to vote by a judge or were removed from the state's voter rolls because of inactivity.—
Molly Beck,
jsonline.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Impuissant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impuissant. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.
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