French word

impuissance

Pronunciation

IPA/ɛ̃pɥisɑ̃s/

Meaning

  • feminine nounpowerlessness

Example

Face à la situation, elle a ressenti une grande impuissance.

Faced with the situation, she felt a great sense of powerlessness.

Illustration for impuissance (powerlessness)

More examples

Après plusieurs échecs, il a admis son impuissance.

After several failures, he admitted his powerlessness.

Core concept

A person watches events unfold while every possible lever for influence seems out of reach.

Common phrases

  • faire face à son impuissance

    deal with his powerlessness

  • impuissance chronique

    chronic powerlessness

Similar words

incapacité: An inability to act because the necessary ability or strength is lacking.
découragement: A feeling of low spirits after losing motivation or hope.
frustration: A feeling of impatience or discontent when desired results are not achieved.
résignation: An attitude of accepting circumstances and abandoning resistance.

Definition in French

État ou sentiment de ne pas pouvoir agir ou influencer une situation.

Word origin

Impuissance is formed from the prefix im- and puissance, a French word descended from Latin potentia and related to English power.

Usage tips

  • In general contexts, impuissance means powerlessness, but medical or sexual context can give it the sense of impotence.

Other meanings

  • inabilitynoun
  • impotencenoun

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word