helpless

English

Etymology

From Middle English helples, from Old English *helplēas (“helpless”), equivalent to help +‎ -less. Compare Dutch hulpeloos (“helpless”), German hilflos (“helpless”), Swedish hjälplös (“helpless”).

Pronunciation

• Audio (US)

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Adjective

helpless (comparative more helpless, superlative most helpless)

1. Unable to defend oneself or to act without help.
   • 1995, Bryan Adams, Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?

     Then when you find yourself lyin' helpless in her arms

     You know you really love a woman

2. Uncontrollable.

Translations

unable to defend oneself or to act without help

• Arabic: please add this translation if you can
• Catalan: indefens (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 無助的 (cmn), 无助的 (cmn) (wúzhù), 無力的 (cmn), 无力的 (cmn) (wúlì de)

• Danish: hjælpeløs (da)
• Dutch: hulpeloos (nl)
• Esperanto: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: avuton (fi)
• French: désemparé (fr)

• German: hilflos (de)
• Ido: please add this translation if you can
• Japanese: 無力な (ja) (むりょくな, muryoku na)
• Khmer: ដែលឥតអនុភាព (km) (dael ət a’nu’pʰiep)
• Kurdish:

  Sorani: ناچار, بێ ده‌سه‌ڵات

• Portuguese: indefeso (pt)
• Russian: беспомощный (ru) (bespómoščnyj)
• Spanish: indefenso (es)

uncontrollable — see uncontrollable

External links

• helpless in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• helpless in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911