as in helpless
unable to act or achieve one's purpose
I wish I could help you, but I am powerless in this situation
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of powerless
Its 93-page deregulatory manifesto reads like a wish list for turning passengers into powerless customers.
—
Christopher Elliott, USA Today, 29 Sep. 2025
Social media has theoretically given every fan a voice, but in reality supporters have never been so powerless.
—Nick Miller, New York Times, 24 Sep. 2025
In the late 1830s, as a devastating financial crisis bankrupted antislavery societies across the North, the movement seemed splintered and powerless to keep up its petition pressure campaign.
—Time, 24 Sep. 2025
At a time where many feel powerless against gun violence, this student's bravery proves that each of us has the ability to make a difference.
—Rebecca Cohen, NBC news, 23 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for powerless
Christopher Elliott, USA Today, 29 Sep. 2025
Social media has theoretically given every fan a voice, but in reality supporters have never been so powerless.
—Nick Miller, New York Times, 24 Sep. 2025
In the late 1830s, as a devastating financial crisis bankrupted antislavery societies across the North, the movement seemed splintered and powerless to keep up its petition pressure campaign.
—Time, 24 Sep. 2025
At a time where many feel powerless against gun violence, this student's bravery proves that each of us has the ability to make a difference.
—Rebecca Cohen, NBC news, 23 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for powerless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for powerless
Adjective
-
These brawls further eroded democratic norms, while driving voters away from left-wing and moderate parties who seemed helpless to halt them.—
Time,
Time,
23 Oct. 2025
-
She was resigned to her fate, helpless with indignation.—
Jack O'Connor,
Outdoor Life,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
In addition, the left side of his face became paralyzed.—
Kimberly Nordyke,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Oct. 2025
-
In August, Elon Musk’s Neuralink expanded to the UK with a clinical study testing its brain chip to help paralyzed patients control devices through thought.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Relief on that levy—which stacks on top of Liberation Day tariffs—could be a boon for the Asian nation at a time when domestic demand is weak.—
Bloomberg,
Fortune,
27 Oct. 2025
-
There, interactions between streams of liquid iron generate a magnetic field one quintillion times more powerful than that of an ordinary lab magnet (but thousands of times weaker than the Sun’s).—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Powerless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/powerless. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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