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.
“More technical exchanges should be helpful in socializing these issues in a way that should lead to better decisions.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 17, 2026
She also said the figures on average wait times published so far "have not been particularly helpful" so there will be a change to routinely published statistics "broken down by driving test centre as well".
From BBC • Jun. 17, 2026
To understand how SpaceX’s options might evolve it is helpful to consider Tesla, Musk’s electric-vehicle company.
From Barron's • Jun. 16, 2026
Onstage, he added, “I can’t think of a TV show that’s been as helpful or as healing.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 16, 2026
There are two Caesars: one easygoing, helpful; one mysterious, threatening.
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
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.
