helpless

Meaning

1. Unable to defend oneself.
2. Lacking help; powerless.
3. Unable to act without help; needing help; feeble.
4. Uncontrollable.
5. (obsolete) From which there is no possibility of being saved.

Synonyms

powerless

forlorn

poor

impotent

weak

destitute

inept

defenseless

defenceless

innocent

😇

hopeless

unaided

alone

shiftless

discouraging

tender

isolated

disheartening

lonely

lost

miserable

clumsy

incapacitated

pitiable

awkward

unpromising

unprotected

vulnerable

resourceless

needy

orphan

orphaned

parentless

pathos

pity

quiet

shelterless

sickly

sorrow

stand-alone

subject

tired

😫

toothless

unable

unassisted

unavailing

undefended

undependable

under control

uneasy

unfit

unfortified

unhelped

uninhabited

unprofitable

unreliable

vague

wretched

out of resources

unsupporting

grief

destitute of refuge

asea

abandoned

aidless

at a disadvantage

bereaved

cheerless

compassion

cumbersome

dependent

dice

disadvantaged

disconsolate

dispossessed

distressed

downhearted

dreary

feckless

flaky

frail

frustration

futile

ham-fisted

incapable

incompetent

incurable

inefficient

infirm

irremediable

isolation

misery

naked

Translations

hilflos

hulpeloos

impotente

impuissant

ratlos

aciz

desvalido

indefenso

çaresiz

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈhɛlplɪs/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: helples

Inherited from Old English: *helplēas

Cognate with Dutch: hulpeloos

Cognate with German: hilflos

Cognate with Swedish: hjälplös

In summary

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”).