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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.

“He felt helpless that he couldn’t do anything to help me. I felt helpless because I felt like I didn’t have a choice anymore,” she said.

From The Wall Street Journal

There was nothing they could do except sit, helpless.

From Literature

“It can be easy to feel overwhelmed, even helpless in challenging times. But music never stands still,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times

Through Spear’s resurrection, “Primal” is quietly delivering a zombie drama that’s strangely life-affirming, led by a tenderhearted brute who is sensitive to the other voiceless, helpless beings around him.

From Salon

She said she felt "helpless" and "scared to react".

From BBC

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.