Synonyms of defenseless

defenseless

adjective

as in vulnerable

lacking protection from danger or resistance against attack

the lack of warm clothing left the hikers defenseless against the unexpected cold snap

Synonyms & Similar Words

• vulnerable
• helpless
• susceptible
• unprotected
• undefended
• exposed
• unarmed
• unguarded
• unresistant
• passive
• indefensible
• unsafe
• in the lurch
• untenable
• weak
• feeble
• overcome
• uncovered
• disarmed
• abandoned
• preyed (on or upon)
• frail
• resistless
• high and dry
• marooned

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• protected
• resistant
• armed
• safe
• sheltered
• defensible
• secure
• invulnerable
• covered
• armored
• fortified
• shielded
• immune
• guarded
• strong
• invincible
• screened
• impenetrable
• impregnable
• omnipotent
• unassailable
• unconquerable
• unbeatable
• almighty

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of defenseless

The shortage is costing Ukraine most acutely, where cities some nights appear defenseless to Moscow’s rocket assaults. — Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 12 Aug. 2026

In the face of new attack vectors, cargo ships are completely defenseless. — Craig Hooper, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026

Worse, during removal, structures requiring dampers are essentially as defenseless against even normal winds as a car without brakes. — New Atlas, 24 July 2026

Both lifestyles, as Tubbs saw them, were about having principles, living for something bigger than yourself, protecting the defenseless—both righteous armies marching under different flags. — Literary Hub, 10 July 2026

Legal battles can discourage farmers Mora said the years-long litigation has left him feeling frustrated and defenseless. — Claire Rush, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2026

Scheffler, thanks to a birdie barrage on a soft, defenseless golf course, needed two more at the 17th and 18th to equal Furyk’s 12-under 58. — Nick Pietruszkiewicz, Hartford Courant, 26 June 2026

White warmly greeted the controversial Tate brothers, Andrew and Tristan, at an event in Las Vegas for Power Slap—another combat-sports offering, founded by White in 2022, involving one person striking their defenseless opponent with all their might. — Sean Gregory, Time, 26 May 2026

If one bomb hit just right, all military communications could go down, leaving the entire country essentially defenseless. — Laura Isensee, Scientific American, 18 May 2026