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Impotent vs Necessary - What's the difference?

impotent | necessary |

As adjectives the difference between impotent and necessary

is that impotent is lacking physical strength or vigor; weak while necessary is needed, required.

As a noun necessary is

(archaic|british) bathroom, toilet, loo.

impotent

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Lacking physical strength or vigor; weak.
  • Lacking in power, as to act effectively; helpless
  • * Technology without morality is barbarous; morality without technology is impotent (Freeman J. Dyson).
  • Incapable of sexual intercourse, often because of an inability to achieve or sustain an erection.
  • (of a male) Sterile.
  • (obsolete) Lacking self-restraint.
  • * Dryden
  • Impotent of tongue, her silence broke.

    Synonyms

    * (lacking strength) feeble, puny, weak * (lacking power) helpless, powerless * (incapable of sexual intercourse) * (lacking self-restraint) incontinent

    Antonyms

    * potent

    necessary

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • needed, required
  • * Shakespeare
  • 'Tis necessary he should die.
  • * Tillotson
  • A certain kind of temper is necessary to the pleasure and quiet of our minds.
  • Such as must be; not to be avoided; inevitable.
  • * Shakespeare
  • Death, a necessary end, / Will come when it will come.
  • Acting from necessity or compulsion; involuntary.
  • Whether man is a necessary or a free agent is a question much discussed.

    Synonyms

    * (needed) See also * (such as must be) inevitable, natural

    Antonyms

    * (needed) unnecessary * (such as must be) evitable, incidental, impossible

    Derived terms

    * necessarily * necessary condition

    Noun

    (necessaries)
  • (archaic, British) bathroom, toilet, loo
  • Statistics

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