Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for helpless. Search instead for helpdesk.
Synonyms

helpless

American  
[help-lis] / ˈhɛlp lɪs /

adjective

  1. unable to help oneself; weak or dependent.

    a helpless invalid.

  2. deprived of strength or power; powerless; incapacitated.

    They were helpless with laughter.

  3. affording no help.

helpless British  
/ ˈhɛlplɪs /

adjective

  1. unable to manage independently

  2. made powerless or weak

    they were helpless from so much giggling

  3. without help

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • helplessly adverb
  • helplessness noun

Etymology

Origin of helpless

First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English; help + -less

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.

Many of our children’s favorite apps and social-media sites were built from the ground up to keep young users hooked and helpless to look away, consequences to their health and well-being be damned.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 27, 2026

"I can't imagine how helpless people must have been," she said between heavy sighs, adding: "I really regret that I didn't knock on a single door."

From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026

She said the duo were so helpless by this point that they did not even try to move when being lifted out and placed in a cardboard box.

From BBC • Feb. 18, 2026

I am helpless before a well-appointed salad case.

From Salon • Feb. 12, 2026

If the gods are finally helpless before evil, men and women must be more so.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

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.