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
Colorado continues to receive excellent starting pitching, but it’s been paired with a powerless, strikeout-prone offense.
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Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 2 Apr. 2025
But when that moment finally came, Joe was powerless to help.
—Dalton Ross, EW.com, 27 Mar. 2025
Fans are powerless to a certain degree about the people that take over their club.
—The Athletic Fc Podcast, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025
In its initial stage, however, The Beacon is about empowering people who feel powerless.
—Andrew Silow-Carroll, Sun Sentinel, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for powerless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for powerless
Adjective
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More generally, some people are concerned that becoming too reliant on AI for menial and routine tasks could lead to us becoming over-reliant and helpless, perhaps even to the detriment of human problem-solving or decision-making ability.—
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Asking for help isn’t the same as being helpless, Pryor noted.—
Adjective
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Before the polio vaccine was introduced in 1955, tens of thousands of children were catching the disease every year; thousands of them died, and more were left paralyzed.—
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Because tariffs are a type of taxation, Mr. Trump’s plan is among the largest tax increases in decades, analysts say, a policy change that sent the stock market reeling, paralyzed corporate investment and shoved the economy closer to a recession.—
Adjective
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Dell Technologies’ balance sheet appears relatively weak.—
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Meta Chief Legal Officer Jennifer Newstead called the case weak and a deterrent to tech investment in a blog post on Sunday.—
Cite this Entry
“Powerless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/powerless. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
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