as in powerlessness
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Recent Examples of helplessness
The giant numbers on gas station signs become daily reminders of economic pressure, creating feelings of helplessness and financial insecurity, even among middle-income workers.
—
Bybryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
There is a sort of helplessness that comes with being a trainer on race day.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 9 May 2026
This helplessness is often reinforced through societal messaging, but the impact of this on a relationship can be a hefty one.
—Joy Harden Bradford, AJC.com, 7 May 2026
Retí’s is the standout performance, cogently mapping a mother’s tenacity buckling under a mounting feeling of helplessness at watching her child disappear into a mystery.
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026
Different circumstances, and yet his helplessness, medicine’s helplessness, felt the same.
—Courtney Crowder, USA Today, 10 Apr. 2026
The contest over causation goes to parents’ simultaneous senses of responsibility and helplessness about their children’s fates.
—Jeannie Suk Gersen, New Yorker, 9 Apr. 2026
What that’s code for — and what’s piquing Andrew’s caretaker tendencies along with his pheromones — is a certain kind of big-eyed helplessness.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 7 Apr. 2026
Anger and helplessness drive some young people to Nick Fuentes, others to Hasan Piker, and others still to fentanyl or 20-hour days of Fortnite.
—George Packer, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2026
Bybryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
There is a sort of helplessness that comes with being a trainer on race day.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 9 May 2026
This helplessness is often reinforced through societal messaging, but the impact of this on a relationship can be a hefty one.
—Joy Harden Bradford, AJC.com, 7 May 2026
Retí’s is the standout performance, cogently mapping a mother’s tenacity buckling under a mounting feeling of helplessness at watching her child disappear into a mystery.
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026
Different circumstances, and yet his helplessness, medicine’s helplessness, felt the same.
—Courtney Crowder, USA Today, 10 Apr. 2026
The contest over causation goes to parents’ simultaneous senses of responsibility and helplessness about their children’s fates.
—Jeannie Suk Gersen, New Yorker, 9 Apr. 2026
What that’s code for — and what’s piquing Andrew’s caretaker tendencies along with his pheromones — is a certain kind of big-eyed helplessness.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 7 Apr. 2026
Anger and helplessness drive some young people to Nick Fuentes, others to Hasan Piker, and others still to fentanyl or 20-hour days of Fortnite.
—George Packer, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for helplessness
Noun
-
Violence can come from feelings of powerlessness and desperation.—
Max Gao,
Variety,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Forced into an uneasy alliance with a sharp-witted poacher living on the margins of society (Kellyman), the two women fight back, turning their powerlessness into strength through violence, wit, and defiance.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The Moon in Taurus moves through your 8th House of Shared Resources, bringing attention to vulnerability, trust, money, and emotional exchange.—
Tarot.com,
The Orlando Sentinel,
15 May 2026
-
Anthropic also warned that highly capable AI models could dramatically improve offensive cyber operations by accelerating vulnerability discovery and attack planning.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
Strawberry Planters Strawberries require unique growing conditions due to their shallow roots, trailing growth, and susceptibility to pests and root rot.—
Wendy Rose Gould,
Martha Stewart,
14 May 2026
-
But the gaps this outbreak revealed in our ability to respond, and our immense susceptibility to a virus more capable and catastrophic, will remain.—
Craig Spencer,
STAT,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Helplessness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/helplessness. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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