helpless

1 of 2

adjective

help·​less ˈhel-pləs 

Southern often ˈhep-ləs

also ˈheəp-

1

: lacking protection or support : defenseless

… as helpless as a flock of shepherdless sheep …

—W. H. Mallock

2

a

: marked by an inability to act or react

The crowd looked on in helpless horror …

—Current Biography

b

: not able to be controlled or restrained

helpless laughter

helplessly adverb

helplessness noun

helplessness

2 of 2

noun

help·​less·​ness

plural -es

: the quality or state of being helpless

Synonyms of helpless

Adjective

• vulnerable
• susceptible

Examples of helpless in a Sentence

Adjective

The civilians were helpless against their attackers.

Firefighters were helpless against the blaze.

I feel helpless. Isn't there anything I can do?

The crowd was helpless with laughter.

He was helpless with rage.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

But when his son Naseer was born in May 2025, Ajas Ahmed had never felt so helpless. —Kamala Thiagarajan, NPR, 21 June 2026

Over the course of a 60-yard run, Maradona danced past opponents, escaped challenges and left English defenders helpless before beating the goalkeeper with a clinical finish. —Cesar R. Torres, The Conversation, 17 June 2026

Arturo has grown used to driving by traffic stops, then circling back to move his friends’ and neighbors’ abandoned cars to their helpless families left behind. —Karen Valby, Vanity Fair, 16 June 2026

That film served as Carpenter’s follow-up to his breakthrough hit, Halloween, which didn’t invent the slasher film but did codify and popularize the horror subgenre in which seemingly deathless masked killers stalk helpless prey, often horny teens (though anyone will do in a pinch). —Keith Phipps, Vulture, 15 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

see help entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

helpless

adjective

help·​less ˈhel-pləs 

1

: being without defense

2

: powerless

helplessly adverb

helplessness noun