as in helpless
unable to act or achieve one's purpose
I wish I could help you, but I am powerless in this situation
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Recent Examples of powerless
Feeling powerless is easy when people around you are bickering or creating tension.
—
Dr. Cynthia J. Young, Forbes.com, 11 May 2025
Those impacted by the tornadoes largely stayed with friends and family or hauled generators out to their powerless homes.
—Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 19 May 2025
There is a powerless feeling that overcomes a team when an opposing player hits a series of difficult shots for which there is no defense.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 17 May 2025
Emergency Response Rooms, a grassroots network of activists providing vital support (and who were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize last year), became a lifeline but often was powerless, said Duaa Tariq, an activist in the network.
—Emmanuel Akinwotu, NPR, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for powerless
Dr. Cynthia J. Young, Forbes.com, 11 May 2025
Those impacted by the tornadoes largely stayed with friends and family or hauled generators out to their powerless homes.
—Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 19 May 2025
There is a powerless feeling that overcomes a team when an opposing player hits a series of difficult shots for which there is no defense.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 17 May 2025
Emergency Response Rooms, a grassroots network of activists providing vital support (and who were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize last year), became a lifeline but often was powerless, said Duaa Tariq, an activist in the network.
—Emmanuel Akinwotu, NPR, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for powerless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for powerless
Adjective
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Yet the Rocket have been outscored 15-4 through three games, looking helpless against a Checkers team that has gotten red hot at exactly the right time.—
Colin Cerniglia,
Charlotte Observer,
1 June 2025
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From the dugout at San Siro, Lautaro Martinez and Federico Dimarco were helpless.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
Adjective
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More recently, in a tragic turn of events, he was left paralyzed from the chest down after being thrown from a horse during a polo tournament last year.—
Peter Aitken
Alia Shoaib,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 June 2025
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In Facility Theatre’s new revival of the Irish playwright’s absurdist tragicomedy, the blind and paralyzed character (played by artistic director Kirk Anderson) looks like a slightly steampunk Scrooge, writes Emily McClanathan.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
27 May 2025
Adjective
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These weaker strains of the disease eventually sputtered out and went extinct.—
Mindy Weisberger,
CNN Money,
3 June 2025
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Global Blue's weak February European shopper data released on March 5 did indeed work as a catalyst.—
Ganesh Rao,
CNBC,
3 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Powerless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/powerless. Accessed 11 Jun. 2025.
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