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

Relevance

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 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 Model and socialite Bella Hadid worried fans with a message saying Lyme disease has rendered her all but helpless. — Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 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 See All Example Sentences for helpless

Recent Examples of Synonyms for helpless

Adjective

Often, there is only capacity to check a sample of invoices; the rest are paid automatically, leaving the company vulnerable to over-spending and outright fraud.

— David Prosser, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
And neurons, being long-lived, are especially vulnerable to protein clumps, according to the new study’s co-lead author Rishav Mitra, a postdoctoral fellow in Bellono’s lab.

— Cody Cottier, Scientific American, 29 July 2026

Definition of vulnerable

Adjective

The burn scars have been most susceptible this summer with new fires created this season and old burn scars from years past.

— Dave Aguilera, CBS News, 31 July 2026
Papik also said fishing policies are being amended that would allow native species to reclaim some of their number, like growing mollusks that are less susceptible to the alien blue crab.

— ABC News, ABC News, 30 July 2026

Definition of susceptible

Adjective

Last fall, major lenders reported that business was booming despite a sluggish art market, arguing that collectors preferred borrowing against valuable works rather than selling into weaker conditions.

— Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 29 July 2026
Goods consumption is weak, while services consumption is outperforming, running above headline GDP growth, Liao said.

— Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 29 July 2026

Definition of weak

Adjective

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
Indeed, senior White House officials described themselves to me as almost powerless in the face of Israel’s emotional response to October 7th.

— David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 20 July 2026