learned helplessness
Britishnoun
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.
In a pathetic display of learned helplessness, California business leaders have collaborated in their own abasement.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026
Such learned helplessness would be a serious mistake.
From Slate ● Aug. 15, 2025
In experiments that put animals into a state of learned helplessness, those animals also tend to eat less and show a general lack of motivation and pleasure.
From Salon ● Mar. 18, 2025
You’re not the first person who has used the term learned helplessness.
From Slate ● Mar. 17, 2025
A local psychologist is finishing a lecture on how to overcome "learned helplessness" and believe you have the power to change your life.
From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2024
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.
