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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Abuse survivors can feel helpless trying to escape perpetrators or avoid being found and stalked when the safeguards in place are repeatedly violated, experts said, as in Lisa’s case.—
Angie DiMichele,
Sun Sentinel,
8 Mar. 2025
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Now, with the help of their dad’s right-hand woman Lucky (Poorna Jagannathan), the helpless brothers must assume the position as co-heads of his drug cartel.—
Max Gao,
NBC News,
5 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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John Lithgow plays an elderly care home tyrant out to drive an arrogant and partially paralyzed judge, played by Geoffrey Rush, insane in the official trailer for The Rule of Jenny Pen, which dropped Monday.—
Etan Vlessing,
The Hollywood Reporter,
24 Feb. 2025
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The cousin also was hit with gunfire and became paralyzed, prosecutors said.—
Sara Schilling,
Sacramento Bee,
24 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Many offensive cyber firms set up shop in countries with weak regulations, providing hacking tools and services to buyers worldwide.—
Emil Sayegh,
Forbes,
11 Mar. 2025
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As the market sell-off gains steam, a handful of quality stocks could outperform and buck the broader weak trend for equities, according to Bernstein.—
Brian Evans,
CNBC,
11 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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How much longer will the Navy be left high and dry?—
Jennifer Zhan,
Vulture,
22 Feb. 2025
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But unions pushed back, warning employees that there was no precedent for such a move and that people who accepted it could be left high and dry.—
Cheyenne Haslett,
ABC News,
20 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Anyone can file a petition in probate court in Florida seeking to declare an adult incompetent to handle their own affairs, though, typically, such petitions are submitted by family members worried their elderly relatives can no longer care for themselves.—
Carol Marbin Miller,
Miami Herald,
26 Feb. 2025
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But Marshall can’t do it alone and teams up with his former high school lab partner Frances Applewhite (voiced by Emily Pendergast), who works for a sinking pharmaceutical company as the assistant to incompetent CEO Rick Kruger (voiced by executive producer Mike Judge).—
Bill Desowitz,
IndieWire,
3 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Impuissant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impuissant. Accessed 14 Mar. 2025.
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