IMPUISSANCE Synonyms: 65 Similar and Opposite Words

impuissance

noun

Definition of impuissance

as in impotence

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of impuissance But all of that will be moot if Washington’s rushing attack is not significantly improved from the impuissance of last season. — Ben Baskin, SI.com, 14 June 2018

Recent Examples of Synonyms for impuissance

Noun

Amid so much belabored meanness, meager appeals to conscience scan more like self-conscious obligation, easily subsumed by impotence.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2026
In the diaries, Pavese casts his impotence into a kind of worldview.

— Max Norman, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of impotence

Noun

Could Kleist’s conjecture provide a key to their seeming vacancy, their resignation, their helplessness, suggesting that in their benighted condition lies spiritual perfection?

— Matthew McLean, Artforum, 22 Sep. 2026
There are also horrifying incidents of helplessness and despair, as well as touching examples of hope, faith and redemption.

— Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of helplessness

Noun

The study was designed to examine the psychological effects of authority and powerlessness in a prison setting, according to the university.

— Yamillah Hurtado, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 2026
New characters are introduced, many interesting details are offered, yet the narration never loses its focus, every sentence adding to the characters’ mounting sense of powerlessness in the face of such a tragic death.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of powerlessness

Noun

Abrams does yeoman’s work with a character stuck in a tight spot for most of the running time, constantly grunting and gasping with a mixture of anguish and exhaustion as his body gets progressively more beat up and broken.

— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026
Tina testified for an hour before fainting from exhaustion, returning later that day for a second round of questioning.

— Andrew Coletti, Popular Science, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of exhaustion

Noun

Injuries and fatigue hollowed out a once-dominant roster, with Shohei Ohtani’s decision to keep pitching through pain leaving the team without its most potent hitter in October.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Chen advised supervisors facing decision fatigue to review shots within their sequences rather than obsess over individual frames.

— Davide Abbatescianni, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of fatigue

Noun

Stranger by the Lake is a bookend of sorts to La Piscine, as both films seem to condemn their characters, and by extension, the counterculture surrounding them, to a lassitude incapable of any moral authority.

— Erik Morse, Vogue, 26 June 2025
The result of this lassitude is that cars still rule the streets.

— Justin Davidson, Curbed, 18 Apr. 2025

Definition of lassitude

Noun

But John Bravender, a weather service warning coordination meteorologist, said 2026 has yielded a different type of weariness in Hawaii.

— John Raby, Chicago Tribune, 25 Sep. 2026
Speaking after Chelsea’s 3-2 win over Fulham on Monday, manager Xabi Alonso betrayed some weariness at the lack of closure.

— Liam Twomey, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of weariness

Browse Nearby Words

impugns

impuissance

impuissant

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Impuissance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impuissance. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of impuissance

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

compunction

Popular in Grammar & Usage

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Popular

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

Games & Quizzes