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

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.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

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

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He named a long list of industry heavies and bands before adding: "To the homeless and the powerless and the forgotten, we always say thank you."

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“I’m not powerless,” he told Tang in another message in December, according to the complaint.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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