1
as in vulnerable
lacking protection from danger or resistance against attack
after the storm we found a helpless baby bird that had fallen out of its nest
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in paralyzed
unable to act or achieve one's purpose
we watched, feeling helpless, as the vase slipped from her hand and crashed to the floor
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of helpless
The beatings continued even as victims were helpless on the ground, the video shows.
—
Mark Price, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2025
To be vulnerable meant to be helpless or susceptible to harm.
—Maytal Eyal, The Atlantic, 27 Jan. 2025
As the screaming continued, the terrified neighbor, 44, shooed her young sons away from the door and looked through the peephole into the hallway, watching as the assailant stabbed the helpless woman in the back of her neck with a knife at least 8 inches long.
—Ellen Moynihan, New York Daily News, 1 Feb. 2025
What can people do to spread more civility rather than feeling helpless?
—Stephen Humphries, The Christian Science Monitor, 30 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for helpless 
Mark Price, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2025
To be vulnerable meant to be helpless or susceptible to harm.
—Maytal Eyal, The Atlantic, 27 Jan. 2025
As the screaming continued, the terrified neighbor, 44, shooed her young sons away from the door and looked through the peephole into the hallway, watching as the assailant stabbed the helpless woman in the back of her neck with a knife at least 8 inches long.
—Ellen Moynihan, New York Daily News, 1 Feb. 2025
What can people do to spread more civility rather than feeling helpless?
—Stephen Humphries, The Christian Science Monitor, 30 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for helpless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for helpless
Adjective
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The proton-rich belt remains because it is located in a more stable region where its protons are less vulnerable to being bumped out of orbit.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
11 Feb. 2025
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Freezing temperatures may present health risks, especially for vulnerable groups such as infants and older adults.—
Justin Gest,
Newsweek,
11 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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He was hospitalized after getting a 5-centimeter chicken bone stuck in his throat, which according to court records left him with a partially paralyzed diaphragm along with lung and heart damage.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
20 Feb. 2025
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In mid-August 2024, the Palestinian Ministry of Health reported the first case of polio in 25 years in a 10-month-old child who had not been vaccinated and became paralyzed, according to the WHO.—
Mary Kekatos,
ABC News,
19 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Active ETFs, which trade in real-time, are also more susceptible to market swings unlike mutual funds which price once a day, Nicholson added.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
13 Feb. 2025
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The latest development raises concerns about whether dairy cows may be more susceptible to the bird flu, which would increase the risk of cow-to-human transmission.—
Vanessa Etienne,
People.com,
11 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Twilio — Shares of the cloud communications company plunged 15% on the heels of its weak earnings guidance.—
Hakyung Kim,
CNBC,
14 Feb. 2025
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The Trade Desk missed fourth-quarter revenue estimates and issued weak guidance.—
Medora Lee,
USA TODAY,
14 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Trump and his Justice Department are powerless to undermine state charges.—
Nick Akerman,
New York Daily News,
12 Feb. 2025
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But Poole, an Air Force veteran who now works as a civilian trainer, says he's lost all trust in the government as President Donald Trump pushes a now-or-never buyout on federal workers and Democrats seem powerless to stop him.—
Jessica Guynn,
USA TODAY,
10 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Republicans stand in solidarity, voting for incompetent Cabinet picks, while Democrats are barred from entering the U.S. Agency for International Development building, which Musk shut down.—
Christine Ledbetter,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Feb. 2025
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The difference in expertise is often shocking, which is one reason so many appeals cite incompetent representation.—
Lawrence Wright,
The New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near helpless
Cite this Entry
“Helpless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/helpless. Accessed 23 Feb. 2025.
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