helpless

help·less
H4E1L1P3L1E1S1S1
/ˈhɛlplɪs/

adjective

Unable to defend oneself.

“a helpless urge”

Similar
incapacitatedpowerlesslosthopelessdependent
OriginMiddle English helples ← Old English *helplēas ← Proto-Germanic *helpōlausaz →
Less commonScrabble 13
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Meanings

adjectivehelpless (comparative more helpless, superlative most helpless)

comparative more helpless · superlative most helpless

  1. Unable to defend oneself.

    Then when you find yourself lyin' helpless in her arms You know you really love a woman

    1995, Bryan Adams, Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?
    1 more example

    Rana Thanoptis: Are we good? Can I go? Shepard: You conducted brutal experiments on helpless test subjects. You helped Saren. You don't get to live.

    2008, BioWare, Mass Effect, Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: FTL Drive Codex entry
  2. Lacking help; powerless.

    A gaoler struck him, pushing him back in place in the hopeless, helpless line of prisoners.

    1966, James Workman, The Mad Emperor, Melbourne, Sydney: Scripts, page 41
  3. Unable to act without help; needing help; feeble.
  4. Uncontrollable.

    a helpless urge

  5. obsoleteFrom which there is no possibility of being saved.

    For, while they fly that gulf's devouring jawes, They on the rock are rent and sunck in helplesse wawes.

    1590, Edmund Spenser, “(please specify the book)”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectivelacking in or deprived of strength or power

Similar
incapacitatedpowerless

adjectiveunable to function; without help

Similar
losthopeless

adjectiveunable to manage independently

Similar
dependent
Also see
dependentimpotentincapacitatedlostpowerlessredelessunablevulnerable

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Germanic*helpōlausaz
  2. Old English*helplēas“helpless”
  3. Middle Englishhelples
  4. Englishhelpless

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”).

More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-Germanic

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic عَاجِز
  • عَاجِز (ʕājiz)unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless
Bengali অক্ষম, লাচার
  • অক্ষম (okkhom)unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless
  • লাচার (lacar)unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless
  • নাচার (nacar)unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless
  • অসহায় (ośohaẏ)unable to act without help; needing help; feeble
Bulgarian безпо́мощен, безси́лен
  • безпо́мощен (bezpómošten)unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless
  • безси́лен (bezsílen)unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless
Catalan indefens
  • indefensunable to defend oneself — see also defenseless
Chinese Mandarin 無助的 /无助的, 無力的 /无力的
  • 無助的 /无助的 (wúzhù)unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless
  • 無力的 /无力的 (wúlì de)unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless
  • 無助的 /无助的 (wúzhù)unable to act without help; needing help; feeble
Czech bezmocný, bezradný
  • bezmocnýunable to defend oneself — see also defenseless
  • bezradnýunable to defend oneself — see also defenseless
Danish hjælpeløs
  • hjælpeløsunable to defend oneself — see also defenseless
Dutch hulpeloos
  • hulpeloosunable to defend oneself — see also defenseless
Esperanto senhelpa
  • senhelpaunable to defend oneself — see also defenseless
Finnish avuton, avuton
  • avutonunable to defend oneself — see also defenseless
  • avutonunable to act without help; needing help; feeble
French sans défense, impuissant
  • sans défenseunable to defend oneself — see also defenseless
  • impuissantlacking help; powerless
  • désemparéunable to act without help; needing help; feeble
German hilflos
  • hilflosunable to defend oneself — see also defenseless
Greek αβοήθητος
  • αβοήθητος (avoḯthitos)unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless
Hindi विवश, असहाय
  • विवश (vivaś)unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless
  • असहाय (ashāy)unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless
  • अशक्त (aśakt)unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless
  • असहाय (ashāy)unable to act without help; needing help; feeble
  • अशक्त (aśakt)unable to act without help; needing help; feeble
Hungarian kiszolgáltatott, védtelen
  • kiszolgáltatottunable to defend oneself — see also defenseless
  • védtelenunable to defend oneself — see also defenseless
  • tehetetlenlacking help; powerless
  • magatehetetlenunable to act without help; needing help; feeble
  • gyámoltalanunable to act without help; needing help; feeble
Irish fágtha
  • fágthaunable to defend oneself — see also defenseless
Italian indifeso
  • indifesounable to defend oneself — see also defenseless
Japanese 無力な, 無力な
  • 無力な (muryoku na)unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless
  • 無力な (muryoku na)unable to act without help; needing help; feeble
Korean 무력하다, 무력하다
  • 무력하다 (muryeokhada)unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless
  • 무력하다 (muryeokhada)unable to act without help; needing help; feeble
Latin inops
  • inopsunable to defend oneself — see also defenseless
Māori paraheahea, mohemohe
  • paraheaheaunable to defend oneself — see also defenseless
  • mohemoheunable to act without help; needing help; feeble
  • paraheaheaunable to act without help; needing help; feeble
Norwegian Bokmål hjelpeløs, hjelpeløs
  • hjelpeløsunable to defend oneself — see also defenseless
  • hjelpeløslacking help; powerless
  • hjelpeløsunable to act without help; needing help; feeble
Polish bezradny, bezsilny
  • bezradnyunable to defend oneself — see also defenseless
  • bezsilnyunable to defend oneself — see also defenseless
  • bezbronnyunable to defend oneself — see also defenseless
Portuguese indefeso
  • indefesounable to defend oneself — see also defenseless
Romanian neajutorat
  • neajutoratunable to defend oneself — see also defenseless
Russian беспо́мощный, бесси́льный
  • беспо́мощный (bespómoščnyj)unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless
  • бесси́льный (bessílʹnyj)unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless
  • беспо́мощный (bespómoščnyj)unable to act without help; needing help; feeble
  • не́мощный (némoščnyj)unable to act without help; needing help; feeble
Slovak bezmocný, bezradný
  • bezmocnýunable to defend oneself — see also defenseless
  • bezradnýunable to defend oneself — see also defenseless
Spanish indefenso, desamparado
  • indefensounable to defend oneself — see also defenseless
  • desamparadounable to defend oneself — see also defenseless
  • impotentelacking help; powerless
  • incapazunable to act without help; needing help; feeble
  • desvalidounable to act without help; needing help; feeble
Swedish hjälplös
  • hjälplösunable to defend oneself — see also defenseless
Turkish âciz
  • âcizunable to defend oneself — see also defenseless
Ukrainian безпо́мічний, безси́лий
  • безпо́мічний (bezpómičnyj)unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless
  • безси́лий (bezsýlyj)unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless
  • безпора́дний (bezporádnyj)unable to act without help; needing help; feeble
  • безпо́мічний (bezpómičnyj)unable to act without help; needing help; feeble
  • безси́лий (bezsýlyj)unable to act without help; needing help; feeble
Urdu بے بس, مَجبُور
  • بے بس (be bas)unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless
  • مَجبُور (majbūr)unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless
Cite this entry
APA

helpless. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/helpless

MLA

“helpless.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/helpless. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “helpless,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/helpless.

Source: helpless on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.