1
as in vulnerable
lacking protection from danger or resistance against attack
after the storm we found a helpless baby bird that had fallen out of its nest
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in paralyzed
unable to act or achieve one's purpose
we watched, feeling helpless, as the vase slipped from her hand and crashed to the floor
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of helpless
Slafkovsky, who now plays for the Montreal Canadiens, scored the first goal of this tournament less than eight minutes in, skating through Finland’s defense and sliding the puck past a helpless Juuse Saros.
—
Dallas Morning News, 11 Feb. 2026
Poor, helpless people are being dragged out of their homes.
—Claudia Levens, jsonline.com, 6 Feb. 2026
Both Tony and Dick are helpless children of the American Dream — one borne of the system, the other the boss’s literal son, each at the mercy of forces far greater than himself.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 5 Feb. 2026
Footage then showed McCray carrying her, helpless and disoriented, to a laundry room on Connecticut Street.
—Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for helpless
Dallas Morning News, 11 Feb. 2026
Poor, helpless people are being dragged out of their homes.
—Claudia Levens, jsonline.com, 6 Feb. 2026
Both Tony and Dick are helpless children of the American Dream — one borne of the system, the other the boss’s literal son, each at the mercy of forces far greater than himself.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 5 Feb. 2026
Footage then showed McCray carrying her, helpless and disoriented, to a laundry room on Connecticut Street.
—Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for helpless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for helpless
Adjective
-
Affordability concerns have made Trump and Republicans politically vulnerable ahead of this year’s midterms.—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Menopausal and postmenopausal women are more vulnerable to having a vitamin D deficiency because estrogen levels decline during menopause.—
Stephanie Brown,
Verywell Health,
20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Encounter with Warwick cop left him paralyzed.—
Kathleen Hill,
The Providence Journal,
14 Feb. 2026
-
One of the bullets severed his spine, leaving him paralyzed on a respirator.—
Alice Gainer,
CBS News,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
These cows yield more milk but can be more susceptible to health problems.—
Patt Morrison,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Because telling Starfleet that the Furies are part Lynar, and particularly susceptible to high sonic frequencies, is just an ingenious ruse.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The past four years of conflict have exposed more than one faulty assumption, not least the previously widespread belief even among Kyiv’s allies that Ukraine would be too weak, too disorganized, to resist a full-scale invasion.—
Matthew Chance,
CNN Money,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Continue reading … PARTY RECKONING — Cortez Masto admits Democrats have been 'weak on immigration,' chides Biden.—
,
FOXNews.com,
20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
For all their efforts to convene well-meaning elites, the organizers of the Paris Peace Congress remained powerless to stop the relentless logic of an arms race playing out outside their control.—
Billy Perrigo,
Time,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Utility crews then patrol any powerless lines to find and correct the cause of the outage before restoring power, Core officials said.—
Lauren Penington,
Denver Post,
17 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
He was declared incompetent to stand trial at this time and the judge accepted that recommendation Friday.—
Riley Rourke,
CBS News,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Michael Skakel was convicted of killing Martha Moxley, but freed from prison after a court deemed his lawyer incompetent.—
Jonathan Chait,
The Atlantic,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Helpless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/helpless. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
