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
And parents often feel powerless.
—
Jennifer Jay Palumbo, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
There is no more powerless group than children.
—Vincent Turley, Hartford Courant, 21 Aug. 2025
Yet here in Maryland, public sector workers are powerless to fight back.
—Tim Wright, Baltimore Sun, 20 Aug. 2025
Grace had no weapons in the demo and was powerless in the face of the enemy.
—Zackery Cuevas, PC Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for powerless
Jennifer Jay Palumbo, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
There is no more powerless group than children.
—Vincent Turley, Hartford Courant, 21 Aug. 2025
Yet here in Maryland, public sector workers are powerless to fight back.
—Tim Wright, Baltimore Sun, 20 Aug. 2025
Grace had no weapons in the demo and was powerless in the face of the enemy.
—Zackery Cuevas, PC Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for powerless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for powerless
Adjective
-
This burden of additional responsibilities and emotional labor with less resources lead many women to feel helpless, leaving divorce as the only escape.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
-
The sunbathers of sleepy Amity Bay are helpless against the unexpected great white shark that hunts their coasts; Spielberg’s talent for suspense, effective horror shocks, and ingenious reinvention of the classic animal-attack movie remain as impressive as ever.—
Christina Newland,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Big corporations can become paralyzed by their own weight.—
S.W. Miliano,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
-
Mullins was left paralyzed and died two years later.—
Austin Hornbostel,
The Tennessean,
30 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
But options for changing that are weak.—
Alan J. Borsuk,
jsonline.com,
30 Aug. 2025
-
Instead, molecules simply bounce around and lose energy, resulting in relatively weak conduction.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Powerless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/powerless. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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