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.
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
Fifa appears powerless to intervene in the Somali's case.
From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026
The despair and hopelessness are a response to feeling powerless in the face of injustice and watching long-standing norms be routinely broken.
From Salon • May 28, 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
I looked at the barn doors noisily slapping back and forth with the force of the storm, and I couldn’t help but feel powerless.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
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.
