helpless

[ help-lis ]
See synonyms for: helplesshelplesslyhelplessness on Thesaurus.com

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.

  1. affording no help.

Origin of helpless

1
First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English; help + -less

Other words from helpless

  • help·less·ly, adverb
  • help·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
  1. unable to manage independently

  2. made powerless or weak: they were helpless from so much giggling

  1. without help

Derived forms of helpless

  • helplessly, adverb
  • helplessness, 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