impotence

impotence — noun

1. when a person or group wants to fix a difficult problem but discovers they simpl

1.nounB2
Definition

when a person or group wants to fix a difficult problem but discovers they simply cannot, because they lack the necessary authority or means.

Example

Yuki felt political impotence as the factory closed despite months of protests.

figurative use: political impotence

The citizens' impotence in the face of widespread corruption only deepened their frustration.

Common collocations
  • political impotence
  • economic impotence
  • collective impotence
  • sense of impotence
  • feeling of impotence
  • impotence + to-infinitive
Synonyms
  • powerlessness

    more common in everyday speech; less formal than impotence

  • helplessness

    stronger emotional tone; implies vulnerability, not just lack of power

  • inability

    broader; does not carry the same sense of frustration or desire to act

Antonyms
  • power

    direct opposite

  • influence

    focuses on the ability to affect outcomes

Grammar Patterns

impotence + infinitive

a sense/feeling of impotence

Usage Note

Frequently appears in political, social, or emotional contexts. Often paired with 'a sense of' or 'feeling of' to describe frustration at one's own helplessness. Distinguish from sense 2 (erectile dysfunction), which is the narrower medical meaning.

Common Mistakes

He felt impotence in changing the situation.
He felt impotence to change the situation.
'impotence' is typically followed by the to-infinitive, not 'in + -ing'.
The government's impotence to control inflation.' (when the government has no legal power)
The government's inability to control inflation.
'impotence' implies a desire to act but lack of means; 'inability' is neutral about desire.

2. a medical problem that stops a man from getting or keeping an erection firm enou

2.nounC1
Definition

a medical problem that stops a man from getting or keeping an erection firm enough for sexual activity.

Example

Gabriel began to experience impotence after his diabetes diagnosis and spoke to his doctor.

Many effective treatments for impotence are now available through specialist clinics.

uncountable noun: no article needed

Common collocations
  • suffer from impotence
  • causes of impotence
  • treatment for impotence
  • male impotence
  • experience impotence
  • impotence medication
Synonyms
  • erectile dysfunction

    the modern clinical term; more neutral and less stigmatised

  • ED

    common abbreviation used in medical discussions

  • sexual dysfunction

    wider category that includes other conditions beyond erection problems

Grammar Patterns

suffer from impotence

treat impotence

cause impotence

Usage Note

The preferred medical term is 'erectile dysfunction' (ED), which is considered more clinical and less negatively connoted. 'Impotence' is still widely used but can carry embarrassment or stigma. Frequently appears with 'suffer from', 'experience', or 'treat'.

Common Mistakes

Impotence only affects older men.
Impotence can affect men of any age, though it becomes more common with age.
A common myth; younger men can also experience erectile dysfunction.
The doctor diagnosed her with impotence.
The doctor diagnosed him with impotence.
'Impotence' in the medical sense refers specifically to male erectile function.

3. a medical condition affecting a man's reproductive system that prevents him from

3.nounC1
Definition

a medical condition affecting a man's reproductive system that prevents him from fathering a child.

Example

Medical tests confirmed that Christopher's impotence was caused by a low sperm count.

distinguished from erectile dysfunction: sperm-count issue

The couple decided to explore adoption after learning of Walid's impotence.

Common collocations
  • male impotence
  • cause of impotence
  • treat impotence
  • test for impotence
  • hormone-related impotence
Synonyms
  • infertility

    the preferred modern term; can apply to women as well

  • sterility

    more absolute and permanent; considered less sensitive

  • subfertility

    medical term for reduced but not absent fertility

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

cause impotence

male impotence

treat impotence

Usage Note

This sense overlaps with 'infertility' and is less commonly used than senses 1 or 2. It specifically refers to the inability to conceive a child, which may exist together with or independently of erectile dysfunction (sense 2). The term 'male infertility' is now more common in medical writing.

Common Mistakes

Impotence and infertility are the same condition.
Impotence (erectile dysfunction) and impotence (infertility) are two different conditions.
They can occur separately; a man can have normal erections but be unable to father children.
Impotence means a man cannot have sex.
Impotence can mean either erectile dysfunction or infertility.
The word is ambiguous between the two medical senses; clarify with context.

Word family

  • impotent
    adjectiveB2
  • impotently
    adverbC1
  • potency
    nounC1
  • potent
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe a lack of power or effectiveness, but they differ in emotional weight and typical context. 'Powerlessness' is the closest synonym to 'impotence' in sense 1 and is more common in everyday speech — it focuses on a lack of authority or means to act. 'Helplessness' adds a stronger emotional colour: it suggests vulnerability and a need for rescue, not just a lack of power ('the helplessness of a child lost in a crowd'). 'Inability' is the broadest term — it simply means not being able to do something, without implying any desire or frustration ('his inability to swim'). 'Weakness' suggests a deficiency in strength or character rather than a blocked desire to act. For example, a government might show 'impotence' (it wants to act but cannot), 'powerlessness' (same, but less formal), or 'weakness' (it lacks the will or strength to act — a subtly different criticism).

powerlessnesshelplessness ↗inability ↗weakness ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • sense of
  • feeling of
  • treatment for
  • cause of
  • experience of
  • diagnosis of

Adverbs

Phrases

  • suffer from impotence
  • a sense of impotence
  • overcome impotence
  • lead to impotence

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

From Latin 'impotentia', meaning 'lack of power, weakness' — a combination of 'im-' (not) and 'potentia' (power). The word entered English through Old French in the 1500s. The medical sense relating to sexual function developed in the 1600s, while the sense of male infertility arose later as medical knowledge became more precise. The figurative sense (powerlessness) remains in formal and political writing.