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helpless

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helpless

  • /ˈhɛlplɪs/

Where it comes from

From Middle English helples, from Old English *helplēas (“helpless”) from Proto-Germanic *helpōlausaz, equivalent to help + -less. Compare Dutch hulpeloos (“helpless”), German hilflos (“helpless”), Danish hjælpeløs (“helpless”) and Swedish hjälplös (“helpless”).

adjective more helpless · most helpless

  1. Unable to defend oneself. Then when you find yourself lyin' helpless in her arms You know you really love a woman
  2. Lacking help; powerless. A gaoler struck him, pushing him back in place in the hopeless, helpless line of prisoners.
  3. Unable to act without help; needing help; feeble.
  4. Uncontrollable. a helpless urge
  5. obsolete From which there is no possibility of being saved. For, while they fly that gulf's devouring jawes, They on the rock are rent and sunck in helplesse wawes.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: powerless, weak, hopeless, incapacitated, lost, dependent, unarmed, powerlessness, defenseless, defenceless, ineffective, useless, unprotected, pointless, unable, futile

Translations

Every language

adj unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless

Españolindefenso, desamparado
한국어무력하다 muryeokhada
日本語無力な muryoku na
中文無助的 /无助的 wúzhù, 無力的 /无力的 wúlì de
हिन्दीविवश vivaś, असहाय ashāy, अशक्त aśakt
Portuguêsindefeso
Françaissans défense
Deutschhilflos
Italianoindifeso
Ελληνικάαβοήθητος avoḯthitos
Românăneajutorat
Русскийбеспо́мощный bespómoščnyj, бесси́льный bessílʹnyj
العربيةعَاجِز ʕājiz

adj lacking help; powerless

Españolimpotente
Françaisimpuissant

adj unable to act without help; needing help; feeble

Españolincapaz, desvalido
한국어무력하다 muryeokhada
日本語無力な muryoku na
中文無助的 /无助的 wúzhù
हिन्दीअसहाय ashāy, अशक्त aśakt
Françaisdésemparé
Русскийбеспо́мощный bespómoščnyj, не́мощный némoščnyj

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Cite this
MLA

"helpless." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/helpless. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

helpless. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/helpless

Chicago

"helpless." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/helpless.

BibTeX
@misc{helpless_2026,
  title = {helpless},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/helpless},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}