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.
To see how the shock is unfolding—and what could come next—it’s helpful to know what we’re talking about.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026
"Early detection was very helpful and I am so grateful to be able to say that I am well today," she added in the film's promotional material.
From BBC • May 20, 2026
A 2024 Frontiers in Immunology review emphasized that senescence can play a helpful role during normal wound repair, but persistent senescent cells may contribute to chronic wounds, fibrosis, and abnormal healing.
From Science Daily • May 20, 2026
It is helpful to look by source of income separately.
From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026
I am working harder than ever to keep myself helpful to the Pickled Onion.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
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.
