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
Democrats united against the legislation, but were powerless to stop it.
—
Kevin Freking, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2025
As in years past, Democrats were powerless to stop Republican bills and were often knocked back in committee, even on issues with bipartisan agreement.
—Melissa Brown, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
If convicted of racketeering, the government would also be able to seize all of Combs' assets, leaving him behind bars and powerless, Mears said.
—Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 1 July 2025
While the Supreme Court has ruled the president is powerless to fire him, Trump may name a new chair early in a bid to undermine Powell, whose term has 11 months left to run, The Wall Street Journal reported.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 27 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for powerless
Kevin Freking, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2025
As in years past, Democrats were powerless to stop Republican bills and were often knocked back in committee, even on issues with bipartisan agreement.
—Melissa Brown, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
If convicted of racketeering, the government would also be able to seize all of Combs' assets, leaving him behind bars and powerless, Mears said.
—Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 1 July 2025
While the Supreme Court has ruled the president is powerless to fire him, Trump may name a new chair early in a bid to undermine Powell, whose term has 11 months left to run, The Wall Street Journal reported.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 27 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for powerless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for powerless
Adjective
-
Hosts aren’t totally helpless in the face of these wasps.—
Avery Hurt,
Discover Magazine,
14 July 2025
-
The governor told the story of a teenage boy from Oxnard whose parents disappeared in a federal raid, despite having no criminal records, leaving their son helpless and alone.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 July 2025
Adjective
-
In 1995, Reeve suffered a spinal injury in a horse riding accident and became paralyzed from the neck down.—
Zoey Lyttle,
People.com,
11 July 2025
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The Teddy Pendergrass thing [his first performance since a 1982 car crash left him paralyzed from the chest down] was overwhelming, very emotional.—
Gary Graff,
Billboard,
9 July 2025
Adjective
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Those weak harvests, in turn, are due to drought and high temperatures and more generally climate change, which has negatively impacted coffee harvests for several years.—
Jaclyn Diaz,
NPR,
21 July 2025
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Witness the rally in the railroads last week that crushed shorts banking on weaker transport earnings.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
21 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Powerless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/powerless. Accessed 25 Jul. 2025.
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