helpless
/ˈhɛlplɪs/ adjective
- adjective Unable to defend oneself.
- adjective Lacking help; powerless.
- adjective Unable to act without help; needing help; feeble.
- adjective Uncontrollable.
- adjective (obsolete) From which there is no possibility of being saved.
Synonyms
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”).
Webster’s 1913
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “helpless”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details