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 The blast rings out as the helpless attorney watches in horror. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 22 July 2026 While he’s been fighting in Troy, his palace has been overrun by men who want to marry his faithful wife, Penelope (Anne Hathaway), and murder his helpless son, Telemachus (Tom Holland). — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026 The grandfather is seen running around a few trees, but the bison soon catches up and tosses the helpless visitor eight feet in the air. — Suzanne Yeo, ABC News, 13 July 2026 The leading interpretation is that Smilodon delivered a single precise bite to the throat or belly, severing something vital in a target that was already helpless. — Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for helpless

Recent Examples of Synonyms for helpless

Adjective

Direct access is more vulnerable because there are fewer defensive barriers.

— William Akoto, Fortune, 5 Aug. 2026
These more vulnerable students — often students of color — received no support and lost credit.

— Theo Peck-Suzuki, Hartford Courant, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of vulnerable

Adjective

After strangling the children in the basement of her home with exercise bands, Clancy attempted to kill herself by jumping out of the window of her Duxbury home, leaving her paralyzed.

— Colleen Cronin, Boston Herald, 3 Aug. 2026
This is a major escalation for the kingdom, which had re-routed much of its oil exports through Red Sea ports as the Strait of Hormuz remains paralyzed.

— Salma Arafa, CNN Money, 30 July 2026

Definition of paralyzed

Adjective

Those with preexisting conditions are most susceptible to serious illness from Vibrio vulnificus, the Louisiana Health Department said.

— Faris Tanyos, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026
Although the precise mechanisms remain incompletely understood, evidence indicates that exposure to components of tick saliva stimulates the production of IgE antibodies against alpha-gal in susceptible individuals.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of susceptible

Adjective

Similar to Spokane, the windiest periods will be during the daytime from Friday through Sunday, with weaker winds each night.

— Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026
The next step came in 2009, when mathematicians Jordan Ellenberg, Akshay Venkatesh and Craig Westerland posted a preprint paper that claimed to prove a weaker version of the conjecture for every prime.

— Lyndie Chiou, Scientific American, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of weak

Adjective

Moms Benefit When Businesses Invest in Stability One of the report's most encouraging conclusions is that employers are not powerless.

— Jennifer Jay Palumbo, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
These two models exist simultaneously in Jewish history in the image of uprooted and powerless Jews on the one hand and rooted and empowered Jews on the other.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 July 2026

Definition of powerless

Adjective

Women's hesitation stems from less encouragement, fear of appearing incompetent, and distrust in AI, which can exhibit biases against women.

— Kim Elsesser, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
The mental health courts deal with various legal matters, but one function is to handle the cases of defendants who committed misdemeanors or felonies, have a serious mental illness and have been judged incompetent to stand trial in criminal court.

— Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026