Meaning & use
male potency
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Meanings
noununcountablemedical
A man's ability to have or maintain an erection and perform sexually.
Grammar: Uncountable, so it takes a singular verb: 'Male potency declines with age.'
Patterns
- loss of male potency
- affect male potency
- restore male potency
The article claimed that certain herbs improve male potency, but the evidence is weak.
Doctors asked whether the treatment had affected his male potency.
Anxiety and some medications are common causes of reduced male potency.
noununcountablefigurativeformal
The strength or power associated with men or masculinity, especially in a social or symbolic sense.
Grammar: Figurative and formal; often used in cultural or political writing.
Patterns
- a symbol of male potency
- threaten male potency
In the novel, the factory stands as a symbol of male potency and industrial pride.
Critics argued that the new law was meant to restore a sense of male potency in public life.
Common combinations
- loss of male potency
- Many men are embarrassed to discuss loss of male potency with their doctor.
- declining male potency
- The study linked smoking to declining male potency.
- restore male potency
- Advertisements promise to restore male potency, often without proof.
- a symbol of male potency
- The tower was built as a symbol of male potency and national strength.
Synonyms and how they differ
- virility
- Broader and more formal: it covers strength, energy, and fertility, while 'male potency' usually points specifically to sexual performance.
- erectile function
- A clinical term used by doctors; it is more precise and less loaded than 'male potency'.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: male potency or fertility?
male potency vs fertility
Fertility is the ability to produce children; potency is about sexual ability, and the two can be affected separately.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'male potency' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Male potency' refers to a man's sexual ability, so stress and poor sleep reducing it makes sense. The other options describe batteries, arguments, and storms, which would use 'power' or 'strength' instead.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “male potency”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.