helplessness en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
- /ˈhɛlplɪsnɪs/ (General-American)
Etymology
From helpless + -ness.
Meanings
-
(uncountable, usually) The state of being helpless.
From the most ancient times to the present, in the crudest primitive tribe or the most magnificently ornamented civilization, man has found himself in a state of awed helplessness when confronted by the phenomena of strange illnesses or aberrations.
1950, L. Ron Hubbard, Dianetics, New Era Publications, published 1999, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 10:ADAM: 'You are faced with overwhelming power. Accept your helplessness.'
2021 October 8, Metroid Dread, Nintendo, Nintendo Switch, scene: Adam Briefing, level/area: Cataris:Near-synonyms: powerlessness, impotence
-
(uncountable, usually) A feeling of inadequacy or impotence.
Captain Edward Carlisle, soldier as he was, martinet as he was, felt a curious sensation of helplessness seize upon him as he met her steady gaze, her alluring smile ; he could not tell what this prisoner might do.
1910, Emerson Hough, chapter I, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| helplessnesses | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Coordinates
Deriveds
Synonyms
Translations (36)
hu kétségbeesés (feeling of inadequacy or impotence) · nb hjelpeløshet (feeling of inadequacy or impotence) · ka უმწეობა (state of being helpless) · gv anheiltys (state of being helpless) · ca indefensió (state of being helpless) · pl bezradność (state of being helpless) · es desesperanza (state of being helpless) · es impotencia (state of being helpless) · hu kétségbeesettség (feeling of inadequacy or impotence) · ka უმწეობა (feeling of inadequacy or impotence) · de Hilflosigkeit (feeling of inadequacy or impotence) · fr impuissance (state of being helpless) · hu gyámoltalanság (state of being helpless) · la inopia (state of being helpless) · pl bezbronność (state of being helpless) · pl bezsilność (state of being helpless) · hu kiszolgáltatottság (state of being helpless) · hu védtelenség (state of being helpless) · sv hjälplöshet (state of being helpless) · fr manque de défense (state of being helpless) · bg безсилие (feeling of inadequacy or impotence) · bg безпомощност (state of being helpless) · hu tehetetlenség (feeling of inadequacy or impotence) · he אוזלת יד (state of being helpless) · hu magatehetetlenség (state of being helpless) · es indefensión (state of being helpless) · hu ügyefogyottság (state of being helpless) · hi अक्षमता (feeling of inadequacy or impotence) · ka უძლურება (feeling of inadequacy or impotence) · nb hjelpeløshet (state of being helpless) · ru беспо́мощность (state of being helpless) · hi असहायता (state of being helpless) · cs bezmocnost (state of being helpless) · hi अक्षमता (state of being helpless) · de Hilflosigkeit (state of being helpless) · hu tanácstalanság (feeling of inadequacy or impotence)