HELPLESS Synonyms: 98 Similar and Opposite Words

helpless

adjective

ˈhel-pləs

Definition of helpless

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 Schjelderup’s return pass then found Rangers midfielder, Aasgaard, who provided a delicious drop of the shoulder that nearly sent Dayot Upamecano to a different zip code — before reversing his shot to the near post beyond a helpless, flat-footed Maignan. — James Horncastle, New York Times, 26 June 2026 But when his son Naseer was born in May 2025, Ajas Ahmed had never felt so helpless. — Kamala Thiagarajan, NPR, 21 June 2026 Over the course of a 60-yard run, Maradona danced past opponents, escaped challenges and left English defenders helpless before beating the goalkeeper with a clinical finish. — Cesar R. Torres, The Conversation, 17 June 2026 Arturo has grown used to driving by traffic stops, then circling back to move his friends’ and neighbors’ abandoned cars to their helpless families left behind. — Karen Valby, Vanity Fair, 16 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for helpless

Recent Examples of Synonyms for helpless

Adjective

His opposition to the measure in California could still leave him vulnerable to criticism from progressives in a national Democratic primary.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
However, that is changing as the US Department of Defense seeks more robust, less vulnerable power systems for military satellites that are less hazardous than the older spacecraft powered by uranium and plutonium.

— David Szondy July 07, New Atlas, 8 July 2026

Definition of vulnerable

Adjective

Yuba City resident Michelle Reinhart said the disease left her essentially paralyzed, unable to move her hands or head for about two weeks after contracting the disease in 2015.

— Alula Alderson, Sacbee.com, 14 July 2026
His fixation on the bill — which lacks enough GOP support in the Senate — has undermined unrelated Republican priorities in both chambers and nearly paralyzed legislative business in the House.

— Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 13 July 2026

Definition of paralyzed

Adjective

Creamer of the Fresh Fruit Association said the state food and agriculture department’s lagging pest and disease prevention funding makes the state more susceptible to the kinds of incidents that happened recently.

— Lizzie Kane July 9, Sacbee.com, 9 July 2026
Infections, other immune-system stressors and, more rarely, brain injuries may also contribute in genetically susceptible individuals.

— Daryl Austin, USA Today, 8 July 2026

Definition of susceptible

Adjective

Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh should highlight that market prices are a global endeavor, rendering the Fed largely powerless against what economists mistakenly call inflation.

— John Tamny, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026
By noon Saturday, about 750,000 utility customers were powerless in Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York and New Jersey.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2026

Definition of powerless

Adjective

This show is about scheming, the weight of the crown, and incompetent brats who want to scheme to get their hands on the crown.

— Brian Grubb, Vulture, 6 July 2026
Her Volumnia bellows at her meek daughter-in-law, Virgilia (Justine Faith) as though reprimanding an incompetent private.

— Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026