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
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of helpless
David Szalay’s recent novel Flesh captures with unsparing accuracy the consciousness of an ordinary man in helpless decline.
—
Kevin Power, The New York Review of Books, 25 Dec. 2025
Anyone who was watching, who could only watch, helpless and afraid.
—Mirjam Swanson, Oc Register, 24 Dec. 2025
The streets, tenements, fire-escapes, the elders, and the urgent concerns of childhood—or, rather, the helpless intensity of anguish with which one watches one’s childhood disappear—are rendered very vividly indeed by Louise Meriwether, in her first novel, Daddy Was a Number Runner.
—Literary Hub, 22 Dec. 2025
Democrats insisted the survivors were helpless and should have been rescued to comply with international laws that call for either sides in a conflict to help combatants who fall overboard or are shipwrecked.
—Anne Flaherty, ABC News, 16 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for helpless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for helpless
Adjective
-
If an entrance hole is too large, smaller nesting birds will be vulnerable to predators and invasive species, including house sparrows, larger birds of prey, squirrels, snakes and even cats, which Hamlin says are birds’ top predators.—
-
People who have weakened immune systems or existing lung and heart disease are most vulnerable to cardiac complications from the flu.—
Adjective
-
Clancy allegedly strangled her three children and then tried to kill herself by jumping out a window in 2023, leaving her paralyzed from the sternum down.—
-
Smith, an Arizona husband and father, is completely paralyzed and relies on a ventilator to breathe.—
Adjective
-
The human brain is highly susceptible to often unproductive mind-wandering, and modern technology has only made the problem worse.—
-
Common Pests and Diseases Like all plants, hoyas can be susceptible to pests and diseases.—
Adjective
-
New orders contracted for a fourth month and export bookings remained weak, based on the ISM data.—
-
Getting too little of either can lead to weak, brittle bones, and too much can also cause problems (like kidney stones or nausea).—
Adjective
-
Among the more moving cases that Blair describes are those of people who in life were vulnerable and powerless but in death were considered formidable threats.—
-
While the primary goal is empowering those with mobility impairments, the implications of a powerless eye-tracker are many.—
Adjective
-
In that case, he was found incompetent to stand trial and the case was referred to Hamilton County Probate Court.—
-
In Indiana, there are five death row inmates, with one of the inmates being deemed incompetent to stand trial.—
Cite this Entry
“Helpless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/helpless. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share