powerless

adjective pow·er·less \ -ləs \

Definition of powerless

1 :devoid of strength or resources

powerless victims

2 :lacking the authority or capacity to act

was powerless to help

—

powerlessly

adverb

—

powerlessness

noun

See powerless defined for English-language learners

See powerless defined for kids

Examples of powerless in a Sentence

I wish I could help you, but I am powerless in this situation.

Recent Examples of powerless from the Web

There will be negative externalities to that choice: teams who lose a best player to a hit-by-pitch will feel powerless, and the first team to throw at a player will have an upper hand.

— gabriel baumgaertner, SI.com, "After Yankees-Tigers Brawl, Has Baseball's Beanball Culture Gone Too Far?," 25 Aug. 2017
Those powerless citizens being removed from their longtime homes and families occurs along with schoolchildren being displaced from their community, neighbors and their schools.

— erin edgemon, AL.com, "Birmingham issues: How would mayoral candidates deal with gentrification?," 1 Aug. 2017
But at the very least, the failure of this iteration of Trumpcare demonstrates that the Senator Majority Leader is not some supernaturally gifted parliamentarian whom Democrats are powerless to stop.

— jay willis, GQ, "Mitch McConnell Is an Embarrassing Failure, and He Has No One to Blame But Himself," 18 July 2017
As a broke teen, the response made McKnight feel powerless.

— bailey loosemore, The Courier-Journal, "At Forecastle Festival, sustainability is more than a trend – it's a lifestyle," 6 July 2017
Claiming to be powerless may simply be his way of avoiding an uncomfortable conversation.

— tribune news service, OregonLive.com, "Office Coach: Stressed-out worker needs new mindset," 1 July 2017
In the next two years, Democrats in Congress will be almost powerless to stop this Trump agenda.

— conor friedersdorf, The Atlantic, "How Civic Obligations, Education and Federalism Can Save America," 1 July 2017
Today, these early tools share space with a gyroscope, fingerprint scanner, and other enhancements—many of the iPhone’s most influential games and apps would be powerless without them.

— brian merchant, Fortune, "6 Ways the iPhone Changed Everything," 28 June 2017
BOZZOLO, Italy (AP) — Pope Francis made a pilgrimage to northern Italy on Tuesday to honor two 20th-century parish priests whose commitment to the poor and powerless brought them censure from the Vatican.

— antonio calanni, The Seattle Times, "Pope honors ‘rebel’ priests censured for commitment to poor," 20 June 2017

These 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.

First Known Use of powerless

15th century

powerless Synonyms

Synonyms

hamstrung, handcuffed, helpless, high and dry, hog-tied, impotent, impuissant, paralyzed, weak

Antonyms

mighty, potent, powerful, puissant, strong

Related Words

incapable, incompetent, ineffective, ineffectual, inept, unfit, useless; feeble, frail, infirm, passive, spineless, supine, unaggressive

Near Antonyms

able, capable, competent, effective, efficient; authoritarian, autocratic (also autocratical), despotic, dictatorial, magisterial, tyrannical (also tyrannic); dominant, dynamic, energetic, forceful, robust, sturdy, tough, vigorous; important, major, significant; high-level, senior, top

POWERLESS Defined for English Language Learners

powerless

adjective

Definition of powerless for English Language Learners

: having no power : unable to do something or to stop something

POWERLESS Defined for Kids

powerless

adjective pow·er·less \ ˈpau̇-ər-ləs \

Definition of powerless for Students

:without power, strength, authority, or influence

He was powerless to stop them.

Learn More about powerless

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for powerless Spanish Central: Translation of powerless Nglish: Translation of powerless for Spanish speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up powerless? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

powerless

Definition of powerless

powerlessly

powerlessness

People Are Reading

Examples of powerless in a Sentence

Recent Examples of powerless from the Web

First Known Use of powerless

powerless Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

POWERLESS Defined for English Language Learners

powerless

Definition of powerless for English Language Learners

POWERLESS Defined for Kids

powerless

Definition of powerless for Students

Learn More about powerless

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

Trending: NY Times: Trump's Call Ignites 'Imbroglio'

The Exceptions Quiz III

The Origins of 'Lobbyist'

17 English Words that Come From Japanese

Words of the Year: 1066