powerless
138
3.6
- adjective
- /ˈpaʊərləs/
:
impotente
- Many people feel powerless in the face of narcissistic parents in law.
- feel powerless
- powerless to act
- powerless to stop
But I'll also add that I didn't feel powerless in my hospital bed.
- But I'll also add that I didn't feel powerless in my hospital bed.
- And I just, I remember feeling powerless, like I couldn't protect my dad.
- And yet you feel powerless to kind of snap out of them.
- They feel helpless, hopeless, powerless, experience regret and shame.
- If you control the money, do you feel powerless?
- So what was once something that made me feel so powerless?
- There's so much we can do, starting with not thinking we're powerless in all realms of our life.
- And I just, it just like felt so powerless.
- I try and live my life like now, like, you know, I'm powerless over people, places, things and situations.
- Are we going to, I mean, I, I just felt completely powerless.
- Those are the kinds of thoughts children have when they feel helpless or powerless.
- You may feel powerless at school, powerless with your own children, with your own health at work.
Examples
-
Other regulators were often powerless to act and sometimes had to take the blame.
Academic text (2008) -
Nevertheless, the common people, that powerless majority, continued to be an important focal point for these filmmakers.
Academic text (1992) -
We feel so powerless to what is really happening in the world.
-
In the end, she was powerless against the person he had taught her to be.
Fiction book (1993) -
Its membership includes the powerless poor and the powerful rich, as well as those in between.
Academic text (2008) -
I was reminded how powerless I really am.
-
It's out there somewhere all alone, and I'm here powerless to do anything about it.
-
Fear arises both from being aware of a threat and from feeling powerless to deal with it.
Academic text (2008) -
There's so much we can do, starting with not thinking we're powerless in all realms of our life.
-
Many people feel powerless when faced with difficult situations beyond their control.
Synonyms
809
1.0
Not having the skill, strength or things needed to do something
243
2.0
Not able to act or protect yourself
25
6.8
Unable to act or change a situation
7
5.8
People who cannot speak or whose opinions others do not hear
7
5.5
Not able to make a law or rule work
1
7.0
Not able to make decisions or influence things
Not strong and not able to make things happen
Unable to control or change a situation
Not having power or influence to make changes
Not strong or effective enough to make an impression
Something that has no power to harm or control others and so is not effective
Antonyms
How Powerful
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Powerless comes from the common word power, meaning 'ability' or 'force', plus the part -less, meaning 'without'. So powerless literally means 'without power', a handy way to remember someone who cannot act or change a situation.