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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of powerless
Utility crews then patrol any powerless lines to find and correct the cause of the outage before restoring power, Core officials said.
—
Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 17 Feb. 2026
But in the last days of the session, language was added to make local communities even more powerless over their own future growth.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 Feb. 2026
The women are powerless or peripheral.
—The Week Uk, TheWeek, 14 Feb. 2026
But no international force has yet been deployed, and the governance committee that has been appointed is largely powerless.
—Hussein Ibish, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for powerless
Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 17 Feb. 2026
But in the last days of the session, language was added to make local communities even more powerless over their own future growth.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 Feb. 2026
The women are powerless or peripheral.
—The Week Uk, TheWeek, 14 Feb. 2026
But no international force has yet been deployed, and the governance committee that has been appointed is largely powerless.
—Hussein Ibish, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for powerless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for powerless
Adjective
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Mikey Eyssimont fed Khusnutdinov low in the right circle and, with a Fraser Minten screen, snapped it past the helpless Skinner for his 13th of the season.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
3 Mar. 2026
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There had been a prior collision with Marc Guehi, but the hosts’ No 9 had to ask the question of VAR by nestling the ball either side of a helpless Gianluigi Donnarumma.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
3 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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At age 14, Arias was caught in the crossfire of a shootout between rival gangs, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down.—
Nicole Acevedo,
NBC news,
7 Mar. 2026
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Emt was injured in a drunk driving accident in 1995 that left him paralyzed.—
Lori Riley,
Hartford Courant,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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But relying on the military to supplant the role traditionally performed by civilian law enforcement entails risks in a region where military institutions and oversight are weaker, armed forces have a legacy of human rights abuses and corruption is a perennial challenge.—
JOSHUA GOODMAN THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
6 Mar. 2026
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January’s stronger-than-expected total was likely buoyed by some one-time factors (notably, weaker holiday hiring that meant fewer post-holiday layoffs, and unseasonably warm weather in the early part of the month that boosted industries like construction).—
Alicia Wallace,
CNN Money,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Powerless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/powerless. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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