Meanings
plural powerlessnesses
- uncountableusuallyThe state or character of being powerless; absence or lack of power.
Near-synonym: helplessness
1 more example
In July 1717, a commission established by Orléans to adjudicate the issue had emphatically denied the successoral claims of the two brothers, and the Regent declared himself in a state of ‘happy powerlessness to alienate the crown's domain’.
2002, Colin Jones, The Great Nation, Penguin, published 2003, page 47Synonyms: impotence, helplessness · Antonyms: power, powerfulness
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe state or character of being powerless; absence or lack of power.
More synonyms by meaning
nounthe quality of lacking strength or power; being weak and feeble
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Translations
Chinese Mandarin 無力 /无力
- 無力 /无力 (wúlì)The state or character of being powerless
Czech bezmocnost
- bezmocnostThe state or character of being powerless
Finnish voimattomuus
- voimattomuusThe state or character of being powerless
French impuissance
- impuissanceThe state or character of being powerless
German Machtlosigkeit
- MachtlosigkeitThe state or character of being powerless
Hindi असमर्थता, अक्षमता
- असमर्थता (asmarthatā)The state or character of being powerless
- अक्षमता (akṣamtā)The state or character of being powerless
- अशक्ति (aśakti)The state or character of being powerless
- शक्तिहीनता (śaktihīntā)The state or character of being powerless
Hungarian tehetetlenség, gyengeség
- tehetetlenségThe state or character of being powerless
- gyengeségThe state or character of being powerless
- erőtlenségThe state or character of being powerless
Irish easpa cumhachta, neamhchumhacht
- easpa cumhachtaThe state or character of being powerless
- neamhchumhachtThe state or character of being powerless
- neamhéifeachtThe state or character of being powerless
Japanese 無力
- 無力 (muryoku)The state or character of being powerless
Latin impotentia
- impotentiaThe state or character of being powerless
Māori mieretanga
- mieretangaThe state or character of being powerless
Persian ناتوانی, ضعف
- ناتوانی (nâtavâni)The state or character of being powerless
- ضعف (za'f)The state or character of being powerless
Polish bezsiła, bezsilność
- bezsiłaThe state or character of being powerless
- bezsilnośćThe state or character of being powerless
- niemocThe state or character of being powerless
Russian бесси́лие
- бесси́лие (bessílije)The state or character of being powerless
Spanish impotencia
- impotenciaThe state or character of being powerless
Swedish vanmakt, maktlöshet
- vanmaktThe state or character of being powerless
- maktlöshetThe state or character of being powerless
Ukrainian безси́лля
- безси́лля (bezsýllja)The state or character of being powerless
Cite this entry
powerlessness. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/powerlessness
“powerlessness.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/powerlessness. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “powerlessness,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/powerlessness.
Source: powerlessness on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.