Dictionary

helpless en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /ˈhɛlplɪs/
• (US) audio

Etymology

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”).

Meanings

1. Unable to defend oneself.
   • 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:
   • 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?:
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. (obsolete) From 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:

Forms

Deriveds

helplessness · helplessdesk · helplessly

Translations (89)

hu tehetetlen (lacking help; powerless) · uk безси́лий (unable to act without help; needing help; feeble) · ko 무력하다 (unable to act without help; needing help; feeble) · ru беспо́мощный (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · es desvalido (unable to act without help; needing help; feeble) · eo senhelpa (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · be бездапамо́жны (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · sh bȅspomoćan (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · cmn 無助的 /无助的 (unable to act without help; needing help; feeble) · ru бесси́льный (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · el αβοήθητος (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · uk безпора́дний (unable to act without help; needing help; feeble) · sk bezradný (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · es impotente (lacking help; powerless) · ru беспо́мощный (unable to act without help; needing help; feeble) · ig enweghị enyemaka (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · it indifeso (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · bn লাচার (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · mk беспомошен (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · pl bezbronny (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · hu kiszolgáltatott (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · hi विवश (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · hi अशक्त (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · km ដែលឥតអនុភាព (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · ur مَجبُور (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · bn নাচার (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · pdt halplooss (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · fr désemparé (unable to act without help; needing help; feeble) · mi mohemohe (unable to act without help; needing help; feeble) · ru не́мощный (unable to act without help; needing help; feeble) · hu magatehetetlen (unable to act without help; needing help; feeble) · fr sans défense (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · ckb ناچار (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · sh бе̏спомоћан (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · bg безпо́мощен (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · bg безси́лен (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · ja 無力な (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · be бяссі́льны (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · nb hjelpeløs (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · uk безпо́мічний (unable to act without help; needing help; feeble) · fi avuton (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · ckb بێ دەسەڵات (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · ar عَاجِز (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · nl hulpeloos (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · es indefenso (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · es incapaz (unable to act without help; needing help; feeble) · fi avuton (unable to act without help; needing help; feeble) · fr impuissant (lacking help; powerless) · hi असहाय (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · hi असहाय (unable to act without help; needing help; feeble) · fy helpleas (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · la inops (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · bn অসহায় (unable to act without help; needing help; feeble) · cmn 無助的 /无助的 (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · ro neajutorat (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · de hilflos (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · hu gyámoltalan (unable to act without help; needing help; feeble) · sl nemočni (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · ja 無力な (unable to act without help; needing help; feeble) · cs bezradný (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · ko 무력하다 (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · bn অক্ষম (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · mg afa-manoatra (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · hi अशक्त (unable to act without help; needing help; feeble) · pt indefeso (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · pl bezradny (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · mi paraheahea (unable to act without help; needing help; feeble) · sk bezmocný (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · ur بے بس (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · da hjælpeløs (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · cs bezmocný (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · mi paraheahea (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · tr âciz (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · ga fágtha (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · pl bezsilny (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · hu védtelen (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · nb hjelpeløs (lacking help; powerless) · es desamparado (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · io senhelpa (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · be бяспо́мачны (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · uk безси́лий (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · sv hjälplös (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · nb hjelpeløs (unable to act without help; needing help; feeble) · uk безпо́мічний (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · mt hilflose (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · mk немоќен (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · ka უმწეო (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · cmn 無力的 /无力的 (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless) · ca indefens (unable to defend oneself — see also defenseless)