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
Contributor Aggressive creditors and collectors often push people to the brink and most large debt relief companies end up leaving most consumers defenseless against debt lawsuits.
—
Jason Phillips, USA Today, 29 Aug. 2025
Though authorities noted the suspect expressed widespread hatred and wanted to target defenseless children in particular.
—Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2025
Investigators in Minneapolis say the shooter who killed two Catholic school students and wounded 18 other people inside a church was obsessed with the idea of killing defenseless children.
—Claudia Lauer, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2025
The deal allowed the Nazis to bypass an extensive network of fortifications, essentially rendering Czechoslovakia defenseless.
—Nathan Hodge, CNN Money, 23 Aug. 2025
Jason Phillips, USA Today, 29 Aug. 2025
Though authorities noted the suspect expressed widespread hatred and wanted to target defenseless children in particular.
—Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2025
Investigators in Minneapolis say the shooter who killed two Catholic school students and wounded 18 other people inside a church was obsessed with the idea of killing defenseless children.
—Claudia Lauer, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2025
The deal allowed the Nazis to bypass an extensive network of fortifications, essentially rendering Czechoslovakia defenseless.
—Nathan Hodge, CNN Money, 23 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defenseless
Adjective
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Last month, the Food and Drug Administration granted approval for COVID-19 vaccine doses for people over age 65, who are most vulnerable to severe infections.—
Jenny Goldsberry,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Sep. 2025
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Recent studies have shown entry-level positions especially vulnerable to automation are being scaled back thanks to AI.—
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez,
Fortune,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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This burden of additional responsibilities and emotional labor with less resources lead many women to feel helpless, leaving divorce as the only escape.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
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The sunbathers of sleepy Amity Bay are helpless against the unexpected great white shark that hunts their coasts; Spielberg’s talent for suspense, effective horror shocks, and ingenious reinvention of the classic animal-attack movie remain as impressive as ever.—
Christina Newland,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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However, due to space constraints, not all instruments could fit inside the titanium vault, and the ones that couldn’t would be more susceptible to the inevitable degradation that would ensue from being exposed to this radiation-rich environment.—
Ethan Siegel,
Big Think,
3 Sep. 2025
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This finding raises the possibility that mammoths, as close relatives of modern elephants, might have been susceptible to similar infections.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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No little boy or girl should feel unsafe or unprotected while changing in school.—
Georgea Kovanis,
Freep.com,
4 Sep. 2025
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Equally worrying are the implications for working people across the UK, who may now be left unprotected from up front charges by similar platforms elsewhere in the growing gig economy.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Defenseless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defenseless. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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