powerless
adjective
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Definition of powerless
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Synonyms & Antonyms for powerless
Synonyms
hamstrung, handcuffed, helpless, high and dry, hog-tied, impotent, impuissant, paralyzed, weak
Antonyms
mighty, potent, powerful, puissant, strong
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Examples of powerless in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
When Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico last summer, Richard Santiago and his family toiled in the swelter of a powerless apartment for weeks as mosquitoes swarmed their flooded home. — Phillip Valys, sun-sentinel.com, "Warehouse District: How West Palm Beach’s newest nightlife village found suds, spirits and ‘soul’," 6 June 2019 Without giving too much away, their dynamic takes a sharp 180-degree turn in the season two premiere; Villanelle is now vulnerable and powerless. — Jill Gutowitz, Glamour, "Killing Eve Is Made for Women By Women, and It Shows," 8 Apr. 2019 The girls and women who reported abuse by Epstein, meanwhile, were markedly powerless. — Jane Coaston, Vox, "Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender who is friends with Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, explained," 22 Feb. 2019 He was forced to watch as his Celtics were eliminated from the playoffs, rendered powerless by a nasty hip injury. — Rob Mahoney, SI.com, "The Early Returns on Isaiah Thomas's Return," 11 Jan. 2018 Turns out, our daughter was powerless against the white noise of the fan above the oven. — Marisa Lascala, Good Housekeeping, "3 Tricks That Will Calm a Crying Baby, According to a Researcher Who Surveyed 800+ Parents," 16 Jan. 2019 Across England, an estimated 2,700 homes and businesses will be powerless against coastal erosion within the next 50 years. — Carolyn Beeler, Teen Vogue, "Erosion From Rising Sea Levels Is Destroying the English Town of Happisburgh," 17 July 2018 The North Carolina boy was powerless against the rare blood disease that rendered his father in complete renal failure. — Christina Capatides, CBS News, "Boy with sick father turns to President Trump for help and gets touching response," 28 Mar. 2018 People feel powerless with respect to important things, and that leaves them open to be manipulated politically. — Christopher Borrelli, chicagotribune.com, "Our summer of fear: A conversation with Chicago philosopher Martha Nussbaum," 9 July 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'powerless.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for powerless
powerless
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of powerless
See the full definition for powerless in the English Language Learners Dictionary
powerless
adjective
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Kids Definition of powerless
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