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View synonyms for

helpless

[ help-lis ]

adjective

  1. unable to help oneself; weak or dependent:

    a helpless invalid.

  2. deprived of strength or power; powerless; incapacitated:

    They were helpless with laughter.

  3. affording no help.


helpless

/ ˈɛɪ /

adjective

  1. unable to manage independently
  2. made powerless or weak

    they were helpless from so much giggling

  3. without help
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈ, adverb
  • ˈԱ, noun
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Other Word Forms

  • l· adverb
  • l·Ա noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of helpless1

First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English; help + -less
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

People her age, she said, “mostly feel more helpless, more resigned.”

From

Ms Cherry's husband has described how he "watched in helpless horror" as his wife was fatally injured at the club on Blake Street in Shenstone.

From

Her husband has described how he "watched in helpless horror" as his wife was killed at the club on Blake Street in Lichfield, Staffordshire.

From

A husband has said he "watched in helpless horror" as his wife was killed in a crash on a golf course.

From

"The fire was too intense, consuming the tents and the people inside. We were helpless, we couldn't do anything to save them."

From

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helping verbhelpline