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helpless

[ help-lis ]
/ ˈhɛlp lɪs /
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See synonyms for: helpless / helplessly / helplessness on Thesaurus.com

adjective
unable to help oneself; weak or dependent: a helpless invalid.
deprived of strength or power; powerless; incapacitated: They were helpless with laughter.
affording no help.
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Origin of helpless

Middle English word dating back to 1125–75; see origin at help, -less

OTHER WORDS FROM helpless

help·less·ly, adverbhelp·less·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use helpless in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for helpless

helpless
/ (ˈhɛlplɪs) /

adjective
unable to manage independently
made powerless or weakthey were helpless from so much giggling
without help

Derived forms of helpless

helplessly, adverbhelplessness, noun
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
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