impotence

impotence
I
(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)
Lack of strength
Nouns
1. impotence, inability, disability; disablement, impuissance, incapacity, incapability; inaptness, ineptitude, inefficiency, incompetence; disqualification. See weakness, unskillfulness, insufficiency.
2. (result of impotence) inefficacy (see uselessness); paralysis; helplessness, prostration, exhaustion, enervation.
3. (rendering impotent) emasculation, castration, bilateral orchidectomy.
4. (impotent person or thing) eunuch, castrato; cripple; blank cartridge, basket case, flash in the pan, dummy, dud, wimp. Slang, cold biscuit, flat tire, iceberg, ice wagon, schmendrick, third sex, abelard, androgyne, capon, gelding, spado, wether.
Verbs
1. collapse, faint, swoon, drop. See deterioration.
2. unman, unnerve, enervate; emasculate, castrate, geld; disable, disarm, incapacitate, disqualify, unfit, invalidate; deaden, cramp, exhaust, weaken, debilitate; demoralize, take the wind out of one's sails; muzzle, cripple, maim, lame, hamstring, hogtie, paralyze, pull or draw the teeth of; break the back of; unhinge, unfit. Slang, fix, arrange, capsize, change, cut, dehorn, prune, spade, trim, doctor, knacker, mutilate, unsex. See hindrance.
3. be impotent. Slang, fire blanks.
Adjectives
1. impotent, powerless, unable, incapable, incompetent; inefficient, ineffective, ineffectual; inept, unfit[ted]; unqualified, disqualified, unendowed; crippled, halt, disabled, paralytic, paralyzed; emasculate[d], sexless, unsexed, fixed; on one's back; done up, dead beat, exhausted, shattered, demoralized; without a leg to stand on, hors de combat, out of commission.
2. harmless, helpless, unarmed; defenseless, unfortified; vincible, pregnable; null and void, nugatory, inoperative, good-for-nothing.
Quotations — It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of non-violence to cover impotence (Mahatma Gandhi), Justice without force is impotent; force without justice is tyranny (Pascal), Impotence and sodomy are socially OK, but birth control is flagrantly middle-class (Evelyn Waugh).
Antonyms, see power.
II
(Roget's IV) n.
1. [Sterility]
Syn. infertility, unproductiveness, infecundity; see barrenness .
2. [Weakness]
Syn. powerlessness, helplessness, feebleness, infirmity; see inability , weakness 1 .
III
(Roget's Thesaurus II) noun The condition or state of being incapable of accomplishing or effecting anything: helplessness, inadequacy, incapability, ineffectiveness, ineffectuality, ineffectualness, inefficacy, pow-erlessness, uselessness. See AFFECT, STRONG.

English dictionary for students. 2013.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?
Synonyms:
, , , , , , , , , , , , /


Look at other dictionaries:

  • impotence — [ ɛ̃pɔtɑ̃s ] n. f. • v. 1265; lat. impotentia ♦ État d une personne impotente. ● impotence nom féminin (latin impotentia) État d un individu impotent. ● impotence (expressions) nom féminin (latin impotentia) Impotence fonction …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • impotence — I noun debilitation, debility, defenselessness, failure, feebleness, forcelessness, helplessness, imbecillitas, impotency, impuissance, inability, inadequacy, incapability, incapacitation, incapacity, incompetence, incompetency, ineffectiveness,… …   Law dictionary

  • Impotence — Im po*tence, Impotency Im po*ten*cy, n. [L. impotenia inability, poverty, lack of moderation. See {Impotent}.] 1. The quality or condition of being impotent; lack of strength or power, animal, intellectual, or moral; weakness; feebleness;… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • impotence — (n.) early 15c., physical weakness, also poverty, from M.Fr. impotence weakness, from L. impotentia lack of control or power, from impotentem (nom. impotens); see IMPOTENT (Cf. impotent). In reference to a want of (male) sexual potency, from… …   Etymology dictionary

  • impotence — n. pl. impotencies [im′pə təns] n. [OFr < L impotentia] the quality or condition of being impotent: also impotency n. impotencies …   English World dictionary

  • impotence — /im peuh teuhns/, n. 1. the condition or quality of being impotent; weakness. 2. chronic inability to attain or sustain an erection for the performance of a sexual act. 3. sterility, esp. in the male. 4. Obs. lack of self restraint. Also,… …   Universalium

  • Impotence — Le terme impotence (du latin impotentia, « impuissance, faiblesse ») désigne : L état d une personne impotente, c’est à dire se déplaçant avec grande difficulté, voire grabataire. Une impotence fonctionnelle : inaptitude à se… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • impotence — noun ADJECTIVE ▪ relative (esp. BrE) ▪ the relative impotence of individual governments in the face of global forces ▪ male ▪ political, sexual VERB + IMPOTENCE …   Collocations dictionary

  • Impotence — (Roget s Thesaurus) < N PARAG:Impotence >N GRP: N 1 Sgm: N 1 impotence impotence Sgm: N 1 inability inability disability Sgm: N 1 disablement disablement impuissance imbecility Sgm: N 1 incapacity incapacity incapability …   English dictionary for students

  • impotence — (in po tan s ) s. f. Terme de médecine. État de celui qui est impotent. HISTORIQUE    XIIIe s. •   Après s en va sans escuier ; Mès por ses membres apuier Ot ausinc cum par impotence De traïson une potence, la Rose, 12295.    XIVe s.… …   Dictionnaire de la Langue Française d'Émile Littré

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”