Link Centre Dictionary

helpless

help·less

UK/ˈhɛlplɪs/ US/ˈhɛlplʌs/ fairly common

adjective

1.

lacking in or deprived of strength or power

  • “lying ill and helpless”
  • “helpless with laughter”
Synonyms
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2.

unable to function; without help

Synonyms
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3.

unable to manage independently

  • “as helpless as a baby”
Similar

Origin

From Middle English helples, from Old English *helplēas (“helpless”) from Proto-Germanic *helpōlausaz, equivalent to help + -less. Compare Dutch hulpeloos (“helpless”), German hilflos (“helpless”), Danish hjælpeløs (“helpless”) and Swedish hjälplös (“helpless”).

Related words

Word family

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.