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
Without cellphone service, and fearing that his driver might have a weapon, the then 32-year-old Ugandan felt powerless to escape.
—
Amy Gunia, CNN, 10 Mar. 2025
Steve Squall/Sumerian Pictures Check out what NPR is watching, reading and listening to this weekend:
🍿 Movies: The Queen of the Ring explores the rise of women's wrestling and how Mildred Burke could be a powerful champion in the ring and, at times, powerless outside of it.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 7 Mar. 2025
Without these elements, even the most sophisticated algorithms are powerless.
—Tina Chakrabarty, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2025
Over 100,000 customers remained powerless by midafternoon, per Oncor.
—Tasha Tsiaperas, Axios, 4 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for powerless
Amy Gunia, CNN, 10 Mar. 2025
Steve Squall/Sumerian Pictures Check out what NPR is watching, reading and listening to this weekend:
🍿 Movies: The Queen of the Ring explores the rise of women's wrestling and how Mildred Burke could be a powerful champion in the ring and, at times, powerless outside of it.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 7 Mar. 2025
Without these elements, even the most sophisticated algorithms are powerless.
—Tina Chakrabarty, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2025
Over 100,000 customers remained powerless by midafternoon, per Oncor.
—Tasha Tsiaperas, Axios, 4 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for powerless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for powerless
Adjective
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Bailey's predicament isn't the first time a dog has found itself in an amusingly helpless situation.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
19 Mar. 2025
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The Flames’ penalty kill was the NHL’s best in March before Monday (95.5 percent), but the Maple Leafs made the group look helpless with one goal from William Nylander and two by Matthews.—
Nick Ashbourne,
The Athletic,
18 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Allen survived but was left permanently paralyzed, according to police.—
Lauren Liebhaber,
Miami Herald,
26 Mar. 2025
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According to the release, any savings from ending this type of care will go to supporting paralyzed veterans and amputees.—
Jaden Amos,
Axios,
18 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Murena Pixel Tablet And Third-Party Apps The ecosystem for Android tablets is weaker than that of Android smartphones.—
Ewan Spence,
Forbes,
23 Mar. 2025
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Cleanup crews noted the tree’s root system was very weak.—
Muri Assunção,
New York Daily News,
21 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Powerless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/powerless. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.
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