powerless
English · Thesaurus
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powerless
- /ˈpaʊɚləs/ US
- /ˈpaʊələs/ UK
Where it comes from
From Middle English pouerles, powerles, equivalent to power + -less.
adjective more powerless · most powerless · powerlesse
- Lacking sufficient power or strength. In Sweden, as we saw, the mistletoe which is gathered on Midsummer Eve is attached to the ceiling of the house, the horse's stall or the cow's crib, in the belief that this renders the Troll powerless to injure man and beast.
- Lacking legal authority. The traffic warden was powerless to stop me driving away.
- Without electricity or electrical power. During the storm, the entire neighborhood was left powerless for several hours
Similar: mightless, strengthless, weak, vulnerable, impotent · Opposite: powerful, strong
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: helpless, weak, nerveless, feeble, incapacitated, overpowered, swamped, overcome, inundated, flooded, engulfed, overwhelmed, helplessness, lacklustre, impotence, ineffective
adjective
Similar: mightless, strengthless, weak, vulnerable, impotent · Opposite: powerful, strong
Translations
Every language
adj lacking sufficient power or strength
| Español | sin poder / poderío / potencia |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 무력하다 muryeokhada |
| 日本語 | 弱い yowai, 脆い moroi, 無力な muryoku na |
| 中文 | 無力的 /无力的 wúlì de |
| हिन्दी | शक्तिहीन śaktihīn |
| Português | impotente |
| Français | impuissant |
| Deutsch | kraftlos |
| Italiano | impotente |
| Русский | бесси́льный bessílʹnyj, беспо́мощный bespómoščnyj, не́мощный némoščnyj |
| العربية | ضَعِيف ḍaʕīf, عَاجِز ʕājiz |
adj lacking legal authority
| Español | sin poder / poderío / potestad |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | machtlos |
| Русский | безвла́стный bezvlástnyj, неправомо́чный nepravomóčnyj |
Talk about this word "powerless." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/powerless. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. powerless. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/powerless "powerless." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/powerless.Cite this
@misc{powerless_2026,
title = {powerless},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/powerless},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
