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
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.
This gap has left researchers wondering what kinds of chemical information these helpful bacteria are actually detecting in their environment.
From Science Daily
“Jeffrey was quite helpful and he put in a lot of time in. Without him it would have been harder. I will send him a thank you.”
This means they help the immune system distinguish between harmful threats and harmless targets, preventing unnecessary attacks on the body's own cells, helpful microbes, and everyday foods.
From Science Daily
To grasp their potential implications, it is helpful to understand something about their architecture.
“I believe him. In fact, I believe he could be the most helpful person in Sassafras Springs. The loom told me so.”
From Literature
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.
