adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of powerless
Explanation
Powerless means lacking strength, ability, or authority. If nothing you do stops your dog from barking, you're powerless to make her be quiet. A person who doesn't have the power they need to accomplish something can be described as powerless. A flustered substitute teacher is powerless to silence a chattering classroom, and citizens who don't vote are powerless to change their elected representatives in Congress. Power, "strength or vigor," can be traced back to a root meaning "power" or "lord." When you add the suffix -less, or "lacking," you get powerless.
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.
But things aren’t hopeless, and we’re not powerless.
From Slate ● Jul. 28, 2026
But Chishti, of the Migration Policy Institute, said in reality, “Congress can’t do anything — it was left powerless by the Supreme Court.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026
Against that backdrop, he was powerless to prevent Andy Burnham contesting the by-election triggered in Makerfield in Greater Manchester to give him a chance to return to Westminster and take over as Labour leader.
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
People shared consistent reasons for this: the news put them in a bad mood, they felt overwhelmed and powerless to act.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 16, 2026
When the terrible story of Lucy’s death, and—and all that followed, was done, I lay back in my chair powerless.
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
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.
