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
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Recent Examples of defenseless
Your answer about the defenseless player rule was appreciated.
—
Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 7 Jan. 2026
Teammate Andru Phillips was also hit with a $7,292 fine for a hit on a defenseless player.
—Michael Gallagher, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Dec. 2025
The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee describing that second strike as an attack on defenseless survivors, an act that if true would violate international law.
—ABC News, 7 Dec. 2025
Although the killing of two defenseless men left floating in the water during the September strike has created a sensation in the days since the Post’s scoop, the entire military campaign itself is an outrage.
—Susan B. Glasser, New Yorker, 5 Dec. 2025
The Geneva Conventions, which are the core of the law of armed conflict, prohibit targeting civilians or members of the armed forces who are defenseless.
—Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 3 Dec. 2025
Lawmakers have suggested that Hegseth, a former Fox News host, may have committed a war crime by targeting defenseless people.
—Brian Niemietz, Mercury News, 3 Dec. 2025
Giles said the military aspects of the peace plan leave Ukraine effectively defenseless against a future Russian attack.
—Mithil Aggarwal, NBC news, 22 Nov. 2025
Tua Tagovailoa’s revival will be short-lived against Baltimore’s no-longer-defenseless defense.
—Kevin Cusick, Twin Cities, 29 Oct. 2025
Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 7 Jan. 2026
Teammate Andru Phillips was also hit with a $7,292 fine for a hit on a defenseless player.
—Michael Gallagher, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Dec. 2025
The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee describing that second strike as an attack on defenseless survivors, an act that if true would violate international law.
—ABC News, 7 Dec. 2025
Although the killing of two defenseless men left floating in the water during the September strike has created a sensation in the days since the Post’s scoop, the entire military campaign itself is an outrage.
—Susan B. Glasser, New Yorker, 5 Dec. 2025
The Geneva Conventions, which are the core of the law of armed conflict, prohibit targeting civilians or members of the armed forces who are defenseless.
—Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 3 Dec. 2025
Lawmakers have suggested that Hegseth, a former Fox News host, may have committed a war crime by targeting defenseless people.
—Brian Niemietz, Mercury News, 3 Dec. 2025
Giles said the military aspects of the peace plan leave Ukraine effectively defenseless against a future Russian attack.
—Mithil Aggarwal, NBC news, 22 Nov. 2025
Tua Tagovailoa’s revival will be short-lived against Baltimore’s no-longer-defenseless defense.
—Kevin Cusick, Twin Cities, 29 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defenseless
Adjective
-
If an entrance hole is too large, smaller nesting birds will be vulnerable to predators and invasive species, including house sparrows, larger birds of prey, squirrels, snakes and even cats, which Hamlin says are birds’ top predators.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
6 Jan. 2026
-
People who have weakened immune systems or existing lung and heart disease are most vulnerable to cardiac complications from the flu.—
Helen Carefoot,
Flow Space,
6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
People eventually outgrow the helpless-baby stage.—
Anna Louie Sussman,
The Atlantic,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Without money and without a means to earn it, women are helpless to determine the course of their own lives.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
The deterioration in the labor market has been concentrated in payroll employment, which is the [datapoint] that is the most susceptible to demographic and immigration changes.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
4 Nov. 2025
-
However, Arizona's hot and dry desert climate made Gilbert susceptible to drought and wildfires, causing the low ranking in natural disaster risk.—
Paige Moore,
AZCentral.com,
4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
With the expiration of TPS, these individuals are left completely unprotected and face the possibility of being detained or deported.—
Antonio Maria Delgado,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
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Their stewardship has kept deforestation rates in Indigenous Lands in the Brazilian Amazon up to 83% lower than in unprotected areas globally.—
Simon Perry,
PEOPLE,
4 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Defenseless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defenseless. Accessed 8 Jan. 2026.
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