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
The Rangers have been powerless on the advantage with 2.86 goals per 60, which lands them 31st ahead of only the Islanders.
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Shayna Goldman, The Athletic, 31 Dec. 2024
Shortly afterwards, Italy international Locatelli blocked an effort from Albert Gudmundsson but was powerless to prevent Kean equalising with a glancing header just before half time.
—Adam Digby, Forbes, 29 Dec. 2024
Preverbal infants, orangutans, and all other creatures incapable of language are, by implication, powerless to perform many basic mental operations.
—Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024
Outside powers, both those fueling the country’s civil war over the past 13 years and those trying to end it, were left astonished, unsure of what was happening, powerless to affect events, and grappling for an effective response.
—Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for powerless 
Shayna Goldman, The Athletic, 31 Dec. 2024
Shortly afterwards, Italy international Locatelli blocked an effort from Albert Gudmundsson but was powerless to prevent Kean equalising with a glancing header just before half time.
—Adam Digby, Forbes, 29 Dec. 2024
Preverbal infants, orangutans, and all other creatures incapable of language are, by implication, powerless to perform many basic mental operations.
—Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024
Outside powers, both those fueling the country’s civil war over the past 13 years and those trying to end it, were left astonished, unsure of what was happening, powerless to affect events, and grappling for an effective response.
—Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for powerless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for powerless
Adjective
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The wind is bending thick swirls of flame over Sunset Boulevard and the firefighters are helpless to stop it.Matt Gutman, ABC News, 9 Jan. 2025
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Buster the yellow Lab is a thicc fella who can stop, but will not stop, gleefully belly flopping into his swimming pool despite the increasingly helpless and desperately profane protestations of his mother.Julie Klausner, Vulture, 27 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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After October 7th, people were shocked and stunned and paralyzed and afraid of rockets and trying to figure out where their dead bodies were and whether their kids were dead or captive.Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 2 Jan. 2025
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The inspirational documentary chronicles the actor's storied rise but mainly focuses on his later life and work championing people with disabilities and spinal-cord injuries after a horse-riding accident left him paralyzed.Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 24 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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China’s persistently low consumer inflation indicates that China is struggling with weak domestic demand, stoking fears of deflation.Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 9 Jan. 2025
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Its woman-on-the-run story is weak at times, not quite engaging enough to get through the constant death and destruction.Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 9 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Powerless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/powerless. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.
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