helpful
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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.
Former England manager Sir Gareth Southgate says he turned down work as a pundit at the World Cup because he did not think it would be "helpful" to the side's chances.
From BBC • Jun. 14, 2026
The traffic is not helpful, but other than that, it’s exciting.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 13, 2026
"This is helpful because we have a lot of drugs to fight cancer and some of them might be useful therapeutically for Alzheimer's disease."
From Science Daily • Jun. 12, 2026
“It would be helpful if you did XX” or “It would be great if you could acknowledge input from everyone, not just X, Y, Z,” for example, illuminate specific actions you can repeat or change.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 11, 2026
At least having The Big Book of Just About Everything has been helpful for distraction’s sake.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
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.
