HELPLESSLY 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 Hundreds have felt helpless in the Via De La Paz, Pacific Palisades condominium complex, as the wildfire incinerated half of it. — Kara Finnstrom, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026 The wartime mood among European and American intellectuals was hopeless, or, rather, in her estimation, helpless. — David Denby, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026 And the sport — players in uniform and executives in suits alike — all march toward the cliff in shackles of their own design, seemingly helpless to find a compromise. — Miami Herald, 5 Aug. 2026 Ukraine has been largely helpless in similar Russian onslaughts in recent weeks. — Tom Bowman, NPR, 4 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for helpless

Recent Examples of Synonyms for helpless

Adjective

Her singing is melting and vulnerable yet charged with expectation.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026
Recently, the end of TPS has left hundreds of thousands of Haitians in the US vulnerable to deportation – and advocates say fears are growing amid reports of intensifying enforcement.

— Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of vulnerable

Adjective

Lindsay Clancy was accused of strangling the three children with workout bands and then attempted suicide, including by jumping out a window, leaving her paralyzed.

— Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2026
Clancy later jumped from a second-story window in an apparent suicide attempt, which left her paralyzed from the waist down.

— Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of paralyzed

Adjective

Without Micah Parsons, the Packers’ defensive front looks susceptible.

— Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
Women who went into early menopause, smoked, have low body weight or have taken (or are currently taking) a GLP-1 are more susceptible to bone loss.

— Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of susceptible

Adjective

The Falcons’ season begins this weekend; one that most are considering an evaluation year with an outside chance at playoff contention in a weak division.

— Gabriel Burns, AJC.com, 9 Sep. 2026
Palace are probably weaker at centre-back overall, though, and two loans are not ideal.

— Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of weak

Adjective

Rocha has many friends in Washington, but his attempts to change González’s situation have left him feeling powerless.

— Jesús Rodríguez, New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2026
And given her lifelong love of the breed, Farlow can understand why the couple may have been powerless to resist.

— David Mack, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2026