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
In the milliseconds before a collision, truck drivers are often powerless to avert disaster.
—
Patrick Radden Keefe, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
The Brewers had their own ace to play, though, and the Boston bats looked powerless against Jacob Misiorowski in the early innings.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 8 Apr. 2026
Local leaders are not powerless.
—Russell Hancock, Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2026
Tethered to a drug that kept him alive, but powerless.
—Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for powerless
Patrick Radden Keefe, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
The Brewers had their own ace to play, though, and the Boston bats looked powerless against Jacob Misiorowski in the early innings.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 8 Apr. 2026
Local leaders are not powerless.
—Russell Hancock, Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2026
Tethered to a drug that kept him alive, but powerless.
—Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for powerless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for powerless
Adjective
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Sure, Cignetti wants to beat the s— out of every opponent, especially helpless Purdue.—
Jason Kirk,
New York Times,
5 May 2026
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Punk appeared helpless as Reigns picked him up.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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One of the bullets in Monday’s shooting hit the teen’s spine, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down, his mother said.—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
30 Apr. 2026
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The result is a paralyzed country where the most vulnerable populations.—
Sarah Moreno
Updated April 29,
Miami Herald,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Meanwhile, the rest of the NBA is widely expected to be more competitive next season — from the bottom tier, where anti-tanking regulations and a weaker draft class should curb teams’ intentional losing, to the upper echelons, where Oklahoma City and San Antonio stand tall.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
8 May 2026
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Conditions change quickly, signals conflict with each other, and weak assumptions tend to get exposed without much delay.—
Lyssanoel Frater,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Powerless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/powerless. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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