Helpless — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

lacking in or deprived of strength or power

unable to function; without help

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/hˌaɪpoʊtʃtʃˈɪliə/

🇬🇧British English

/hˈɛlpləs/

🇮🇳Indian English

/hˈɛlpləs/

2 syllables Say it as /hˌaɪpoʊtʃtʃˈɪliə/.

Examples

lying ill and helpless
helpless with laughter
as helpless as a baby

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

lost incapacitated

Parts of Speech

adjective	lacking in or deprived of strength or power “lying ill and helpless”
adjective	unable to function; without help
adjective	unable to manage independently “as helpless as a baby”

Word Forms

helplessness

noun

powerlessness revealed by an inability to act

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

hilflos

es mangelt an Kraft oder Macht oder es fehlt ihnen

🇫🇷French

sans défense

manquant ou privé de force ou de pouvoir

🇪🇸Spanish

indefenso

carente o privado de fuerza o poder

🇮🇹Italian

impotente

carente o privato di forza o potere

🇳🇱Dutch

hulpeloos

gebrek aan of beroofd van kracht of macht

🇵🇹Portuguese

indefeso

com falta ou privado de força ou poder

🇷🇺Russian

беспомощный

лишенный или лишенный силы или власти

India

🇮🇳Hindi

असहाय

शक्ति या शक्ति का अभाव या अभाव

🇧🇩Bengali

অসহায়

শক্তি বা শক্তির অভাব বা বঞ্চিত

🇮🇳Tamil

ஆதரவற்ற

வலிமை அல்லது சக்தி இல்லாதது அல்லது இழந்தது

🇮🇳Telugu

నిస్సహాయుడు

బలం లేదా శక్తి లేకపోవడం లేదా కోల్పోవడం

🇮🇳Marathi

असहाय्य

सामर्थ्य किंवा सामर्थ्याचा अभाव किंवा वंचित

🇮🇳Gujarati

લાચાર

શક્તિ અથવા શક્તિનો અભાવ અથવા વંચિત

🇮🇳Kannada

ಅಸಹಾಯಕ

ಶಕ್ತಿ ಅಥವಾ ಶಕ್ತಿಯ ಕೊರತೆ ಅಥವಾ ವಂಚಿತ

🇮🇳Malayalam

നിസ്സഹായ

ശക്തിയുടെയോ ശക്തിയുടെയോ അഭാവം അല്ലെങ്കിൽ നഷ്ടം

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਬੇਸਹਾਰਾ

ਤਾਕਤ ਜਾਂ ਸ਼ਕਤੀ ਦੀ ਘਾਟ ਜਾਂ ਵਾਂਝੇ

🇵🇰Urdu

بے بس

طاقت یا طاقت کا فقدان یا محروم

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

无助

缺乏或被剥夺力量或权力

🇯🇵Japanese

無力な

強さまたは力が欠如している、または奪われている

🇰🇷Korean

어찌할 수 없는

힘이나 힘이 부족하거나 박탈됨

🇻🇳Vietnamese

bất lực

thiếu hoặc thiếu sức mạnh hoặc quyền lực

🇹🇭Thai

ทำอะไรไม่ถูก

ขาดหรือขาดกำลังหรืออำนาจ

🇮🇩Indonesian

tak berdaya

kurang atau kehilangan kekuatan atau kekuasaan

🇵🇭Filipino

walang magawa

kulang o pinagkaitan ng lakas o kapangyarihan

🇲🇾Malay

tidak berdaya

kekurangan atau kehilangan kekuatan atau kuasa

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

عاجز

الافتقار إلى القوة أو القوة أو الحرمان منها

🇮🇷Persian

درمانده

فقدان یا محروم از قدرت یا قدرت

🇹🇷Turkish

çaresiz

Güç veya kudretten yoksun veya yoksun

🇮🇱Hebrew

חֲסַר אוֹנִים

חסר או משולל כוח או כוח

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'helpless'?

The primary meaning of 'helpless' is 'lacking in or deprived of strength or power'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'helpless' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'helpless' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'helpless' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'helpless' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'helpless' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'helpless' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'helpless' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'helpless' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'helpless' in a professional email?

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Never

Would you classify 'helpless' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

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