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.
Stokes would probably have been powerless to improve either.
From BBC • Jun. 19, 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
The point is the feeling his creates, the paranoia that the average person is powerless against such dark forces.
From Salon • May 24, 2026
The family member who contacted Brand also wants the painting returned to the Goudstikker heirs, but the police are powerless as the theft has passed the statute of limitations.
From Barron's • May 11, 2026
Taran cried with all the more anger at feeling himself powerless.
From "The Black Cauldron" by Lloyd Alexander
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.
