as in powerlessness
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Recent Examples of helplessness
We are left to sit in our own helplessness and with the memory of hers.
—
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2025
Hitting the lowest point gave me resistance, courage, and new emotional depth — anger, helplessness, pain — all of which become fuel for an actor.
—Gavin J Blair, HollywoodReporter, 2 Nov. 2025
Unlike stress tied to a specific event or deadline, which has a clear endpoint, uncertainty persists and can create feelings of helplessness and anxiety.
—Sandra Rose Salathe, Flow Space, 29 Oct. 2025
For the Ukrainian leadership in Kyiv, the occupation of the power plant marked a singular moment of terror and helplessness in a year that had plenty of both.
—Simon Shuster, Time, 23 Oct. 2025
For the diaspora characters, hearing the lyrics sharpens both their feelings of solidarity and helplessness.
—Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2025
Some canines might feel helplessness, unable to control the environment, with some becoming aggressive or hyperactive.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
This sense of helplessness, embarrassment and utter misery is what so many scam victims report feeling.
—Madhusree Mukerjee, Scientific American, 8 Oct. 2025
Koestler suggests that a stroke of good fortune, or a vision of the sublime, may evoke a sense of powerlessness — of being rapt, overwhelmed, enraptured, entranced — which overlaps with the helplessness of loss and defeat, and which evokes a similar surrender.
—Big Think, 23 Sep. 2025
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2025
Hitting the lowest point gave me resistance, courage, and new emotional depth — anger, helplessness, pain — all of which become fuel for an actor.
—Gavin J Blair, HollywoodReporter, 2 Nov. 2025
Unlike stress tied to a specific event or deadline, which has a clear endpoint, uncertainty persists and can create feelings of helplessness and anxiety.
—Sandra Rose Salathe, Flow Space, 29 Oct. 2025
For the Ukrainian leadership in Kyiv, the occupation of the power plant marked a singular moment of terror and helplessness in a year that had plenty of both.
—Simon Shuster, Time, 23 Oct. 2025
For the diaspora characters, hearing the lyrics sharpens both their feelings of solidarity and helplessness.
—Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2025
Some canines might feel helplessness, unable to control the environment, with some becoming aggressive or hyperactive.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
This sense of helplessness, embarrassment and utter misery is what so many scam victims report feeling.
—Madhusree Mukerjee, Scientific American, 8 Oct. 2025
Koestler suggests that a stroke of good fortune, or a vision of the sublime, may evoke a sense of powerlessness — of being rapt, overwhelmed, enraptured, entranced — which overlaps with the helplessness of loss and defeat, and which evokes a similar surrender.
—Big Think, 23 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for helplessness
Noun
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Would-be autocrats create environments of fear and powerlessness, using intimidation, overwhelming force or political and legal attacks, and other coercive tactics to force acquiescence and chill democratic pushback.—
Shelley Inglis,
The Conversation,
19 Oct. 2025
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This grim reality evokes a sense of sorrow and powerlessness among women in Paina Bujurg.—
Aishwarya S. Iyer,
CNN Money,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
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This move highlights vulnerabilities in the technology supply chain, affecting automakers like Honda, which halted production at a Mexican factory.—
Boston Herald Wire Services,
Boston Herald,
8 Nov. 2025
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Her son's vulnerability precipitated some of those words.—
Jim Riccioli,
jsonline.com,
8 Nov. 2025
Noun
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While striped skunk is edible, Coalition Brewing warns against its strong odor, scavenger diet and susceptibility to parasites.—
Stuart Dyos,
USA Today,
29 Oct. 2025
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While striped skunk is edible, Coalition Brewing warns against its strong odor, scavenger diet and susceptibility to parasites.—
Stuart Dyos,
Nashville Tennessean,
22 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Helplessness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/helplessness. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
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