helpful
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word 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.
For those over 40, creatine can not only help counteract age-related muscle loss, but “it can be helpful for bone health,” Zaslow says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026
In this case, a trusted family member or friend can be enormously helpful for receiving the occasional piece of mail, replacement credit card or other documents that still must be sent the old-fashioned way.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
“I think my philosophy is: Do your best to be helpful to other people and it will come back in spades,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
Cheryl Peeper found that the store was helpful to keep her ticking over to the next big shop without spending to much.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
She was glad she'd been helpful, even if she didn't quite understand.
From "Pony Problems: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #3" by Carolyn Keene
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
