adjective
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unable to manage independently
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made powerless or weak
they were helpless from so much giggling
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without help
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of helpless
Explanation
To be helpless is to have no ability to take care of or protect yourself from harm. A newborn baby is helpless, and needs parents to care for her. If you're helpless, you're dependent on other people to assist or care for you. Breaking both your legs will leave you helpless, and even being in an unfamiliar city can make you feel helpless as you wander around looking for your hotel late at night. You can also use helpless to mean "irresistible" or "uncontrollable," especially when someone bursts out laughing: "They broke into helpless laughter during his speech."
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.
Years later, she testified against him, but rather than feeling empowered, she felt "oppressed and helpless" as she watched the man walk free under decades-old laws Hong Kong is now seeking to overhaul.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
He has stuck his neck out not only to draw attention to the crisis but to remind Americans that they are not helpless.
From Slate ● Jul. 17, 2026
For Canada, injured Alphonso Davies was helpless on the bench as Morocco neutralised Stephen Eustaquio's dangerous passing and squeezed star striker Jonathan David out of the game.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
Rambunctious children become expressionless, silent gawpers while under the spell of the tablets, against which Woody and pals are largely helpless to compete.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026
I felt helpless, like there was nothing I could do to fix anything.
From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce
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.
