powerless

[pou-er-lis]

adjective

1. unable to produce an effect.

   a disease against which modern medicine is virtually powerless.

   Synonyms: ineffective

2. lacking power pow power to act; helpless.

   His legs crumpled, and he was powerless to rise.

   Synonyms: infirm, prostrate, impotent, feeble

powerless

/ ˈpaʊəlɪs /

adjective

1. without power or authority

Other Word Forms

• powerlessly adverb
• powerlessness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of powerless¹

First recorded in 1545–55; power + -less

Example Sentences

These Rafale fighter jets are seen as crucial to protecting Ukraine's skies, because the country is almost powerless in preventing long-range air strikes on its border towns and cities.

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Russell's penalty briefly stemmed the flow to make it 24-12, but the wind was at Argentina's backs and Scotland looked powerless to wrestle back the momentum.

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Fed up of feeling powerless, I immediately reported the incident as a hate crime - now defined in the UK by law to include perceived hostile acts toward protected characteristics like disability.

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Mills, a sociologist, challenged this belief, describing how white-collar work could be just as monotonous, powerless and stressful as factory work.

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The control room operators, powerless in the dark, were left waiting.

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Related Words

• defenseless 
• disenfranchised 
• helpless 
• impotent 
• incapable 
• ineffective 
• ineffectual 
• inert 
• paralyzed www.thesaurus.com
• passive 
• vulnerable 
• weak