1
be impotent
直接用做表语，表示状态。
The government was impotent in the face of the crisis.
政府在危机面前无能为力。
无力的；虚弱的；无效的
先理解核心含义，再看它在真实句子里的用法。
无力的；虚弱的；无效的
lacking power or ability; ineffective
The government was impotent in the face of the crisis.
政府在危机面前无能为力。
缺乏体力或精力的；虚弱的。
Lacking physical strength or vigor; weak
缺乏行动能力的；无能为力的。
Lacking in power, as to act effectively; helpless
无法进行性交的,常因无法勃起或维持勃起,即阳痿。
Incapable of sexual intercourse, often because of an inability to achieve or sustain an erection, having impotentia coeundi.
不育的。
Sterile
When the car broke down on the highway, Sam felt completely impotent because he had no phone signal.
当汽车在高速公路上抛锚时，萨姆感到完全无能为力，因为他没有手机信号。
The manager's warning sounded like an impotent threat, because everyone knew he could not fire them.
经理的警告听起来像是一个无效的威胁，因为大家都知道他不能解雇他们。
She was impotent to persuade her parents to let her study abroad, so she finally gave up.
她无法说服父母让她出国留学，所以最终放弃了。
直接用做表语，表示状态。
The government was impotent in the face of the crisis.
政府在危机面前无能为力。
接不定式，表示缺乏做某事的能力。
He felt impotent to change the situation.
他感到无力改变局面。
接against，表示对某事物无效。
The medicine is impotent against the new virus.
这种药对新病毒无效。
接in，表示在某方面无力。
The company was impotent in negotiating the contract.
公司在合同谈判中软弱无力。
Not this
He felt important to change the situation.
Use this
He felt impotent to change the situation.
将 'impotent' 误拼为 'important'，'important' 意为‘重要的’，而 'impotent' 意为‘无力的’。
Not this
He is an impotent and cannot have children.
Use this
He is impotent and cannot have children.
'impotent' 是形容词，不能用作可数名词；正确用法是直接作表语。
Focus on the distinctions below. Other candidates are kept compact until a reliable usage note is available.
感到无能为力
I felt impotent when I could not help my family.
当无法帮助家人时，我感到无能为力。
无力的愤怒；愤懑
He pounded the table in impotent rage.
他气得直捶桌子，却又无能为力。
政治上无力的
After the defeat, the party was politically impotent.
失败之后，该党在政治上已无能为力。
使……无能为力；使……失去效力
The scandal rendered the government impotent.
丑闻使政府无能为力。
性无能的；阳痿的
This treatment helps men who are sexually impotent.
这种治疗有助于性无能的男性。
无力的愤怒
He shook his fist in impotent rage as the bus drove away.
当公交车开走时，他无奈地挥舞着拳头，气得发狂。
无奈的狂怒
She watched the fire destroy her home in impotent fury.
她只能无奈而愤怒地看着大火烧毁她的家。
无能为力的旁观者
The police were impotent bystanders during the riot.
暴乱期间，警察成了无能为力的旁观者。
Use impotent naturally, then get feedback on meaning, tone, grammar, and phrasing.
Revisit a common error or keep this word in your review list.
记住 potent（有力的）加否定前缀 im-，impotent 就是“无力的”。联想：im（不）+ potent（有力）→ 无力。
语域：formal 常见场景：formal writing、political commentary、literary works impotent 表示“无力/无能为力”时多用于正式或书面语境；日常口语中通常更常说 powerless 或 helpless。
None of these words rhymes exactly with “impotent” /ˈɪmpətənt/. “potent” and “omnipotent” look like they share the same ending, but the stressed vowel and stress pattern are different. “competent” ends in “-tent” like “impotent” but has a different stressed vowel. “important” and “impatient” only share the “im-”/“impo-” spelling; their endings sound quite different. Pay attention to the stress: the target stress is on the first syllable.
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.