powerless
adjective
pow·er·less
ˈpau̇(-ə)r-ləs 
1
: devoid of strength or resources
powerless victims
2
: lacking the authority or capacity to act
was powerless to help
powerlessly
adverb
powerlessness
noun
Examples of powerless in a Sentence
I wish I could help you, but I am powerless in this situation.
Recent Examples on the Web
For all their efforts to convene well-meaning elites, the organizers of the Paris Peace Congress remained powerless to stop the relentless logic of an arms race playing out outside their control.
—
Billy Perrigo, Time, 17 Feb. 2026
Utility crews then patrol any powerless lines to find and correct the cause of the outage before restoring power, Core officials said.
—Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 17 Feb. 2026
But in the last days of the session, language was added to make local communities even more powerless over their own future growth.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 Feb. 2026
The women are powerless or peripheral.
—The Week Uk, TheWeek, 14 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for powerless
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Billy Perrigo, Time, 17 Feb. 2026
Utility crews then patrol any powerless lines to find and correct the cause of the outage before restoring power, Core officials said.
—Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 17 Feb. 2026
But in the last days of the session, language was added to make local communities even more powerless over their own future growth.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 Feb. 2026
The women are powerless or peripheral.
—The Week Uk, TheWeek, 14 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for powerless
Cite this Entry
“Powerless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/powerless. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
powerless
adjective
pow·er·less
ˈpau̇(-ə)r-ləs
1
: lacking power, force, or energy
2
: lacking authority to act
powerlessly
adverb
powerlessness
noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
