Definition of "impuissance" []

• Lack of power or effectiveness; weakness. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "While less deference may be due now that the formal authority's impuissance has been exposed, this is not the time to mock, point fingers, or rest on our laurels."
• "Following a tinny peace agreement this week, allegations have arisen that there may have even been a $6 million bribe to encourage Taliban leaders 'cooperation, revealing the extent of the government's impuissance and desperation."
• "Most analysts of international relations agree that it was a period during which the traditional alliance between Washington and Brussels was languished; mainly due to Bush administration's impuissance to search for broader consensus regarding the Iraq War."