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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impuissant
Adjective
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After playing just one division foe over the first six weeks of the season — a three-game sweep of the utterly helpless Colorado Rockies last month — the Dodgers are finally getting into the meat of their division schedule.—
Jack Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
9 May 2025
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And Nuggets backup big DeAndre Jordan looked largely helpless at the rim, as the Clippers’ offense got going behind a flurry of hooks from Zubac and waltzes to the rim from Bogdanovic and Kawhi Leonard.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Caring for a paralyzed dog has not been without its challenges.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
People.com,
12 May 2025
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But some economists doubt that resilience will persist, with employers feeling paralyzed by Trump’s confusing on-again off-again tariff blitz.—
Bryan Mena,
CNN Money,
7 May 2025
Adjective
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The report also included a number of ‘weak’ odor sources observed during the study, including odors emanating from the Curaleaf cannabis facility on Britt Road and Goldflower Cannabis facility on Niles Road.—
James Wilkins,
The Orlando Sentinel,
9 May 2025
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Thompson’s brother Maurice, who allegedly drove the chasing Chevrolet Equinox, was granted bail in October — indicating a potentially weak case.—
Meredith Colias-Pete,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2025
Adjective
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Amid these challenges, many Gen Z members feel like they’ve been left high and dry when getting financial help.—
JB Orecchia,
Forbes.com,
7 May 2025
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The first thing Beame did was to cut construction projects (Battery Park City, the 2nd Ave. subway line), leaving construction workers high and dry.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
21 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The Trump administration has pulled the plug on a program that provides legal help to immigrants who are determined mentally incompetent, according to a lawsuit filed by immigration legal groups.—
Suzanne Gamboa,
NBC news,
6 May 2025
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City Council, do the right thing for once and put it on the ballot to overturn the requirement of requiring our incompetent city management to do this.—
U T Readers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Impuissant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impuissant. Accessed 19 May. 2025.
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