helplessness
Collocations
2(noun.)
ADJ
utter
PHRASES
a feeling/sense of helplessness
She experienced a deep sense of helplessness when she couldn't comfort her crying child.
Definitions
noun
The state of being helpless.
Near-synonyms: powerlessness, impotence
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.
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.
Thesaurus
Synonyms
noun — powerlessness revealed by an inability to act
- weakness
- impuissance
Antonyms
Idioms & Phrases
Example Bank
6Near-synonyms: powerlessness, impotence
WiktionaryFrom 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 t
WiktionaryADAM: 'You are faced with overwhelming power. Accept your helplessness.'
WiktionaryWe will have to get over the feeling of helplessness.
Tatoeba · #22653Some speculators take advantage of the ignorance and helplessness of old people.
Tatoeba · #274139His helplessness appeals to her motherly sympathy.
Tatoeba · #847162