helpful
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- helpfully adverb
- helpfulness noun
- overhelpful adjective
- overhelpfully adverb
- overhelpfulness noun
- quasi-helpful adjective
- quasi-helpfully adverb
- unhelpful adjective
- unhelpfully adverb
Etymology
Origin of helpful
Explanation
If you are inclined to assist others in any situation, you are a helpful person. Your actions can also be called helpful, like your helpful habit of doing the dishes every night. If you want to be helpful, you find ways to make things easier for others, like holding the door for them. Things can also be helpful — maps, cell phones, dictionaries, and holders for wet umbrellas. Taking good notes and setting your alarm to go off early are helpful tips for days when you have big tests. A discussion is helpful if it teaches you something new or gives you ideas for doing something better.
Vocabulary lists containing helpful
Beowulf vocabulary
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Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 3
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Words to Describe a Teacher
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Beke Lubeach is certain that TV for dogs is helpful.
From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026
“This served as an early clue, and Tuesday night’s gap in U.S. equity futures on the two-week cease-fire agreement is thought to be particularly helpful for risk assets,” he said.
From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026
Instead, a more helpful framework is to interpret the curve as a signal to help traders and end users of oil manage their inventories.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 2026
“It’s really helpful for overall eye health for people who are on computers for a long time or sleep really late or who are reading a lot,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026
If Dad is losing his mind, gossiping about his mental state probably isn’t helpful.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
