as in helpless
unable to act or achieve one's purpose
I wish I could help you, but I am powerless in this situation
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Recent Examples of powerless
Democrats united against the legislation, but were powerless to stop it as long as Republicans stayed united.
—
Kevin Freking, Twin Cities, 5 July 2025
As the minority party in both chambers, Democrats were powerless to block the legislation on their own, since Republicans moved it on a procedural fast-track that side-stepped the Senate filibuster.
—Mike Lillis, The Hill, 3 July 2025
Democrats united against the legislation, but were powerless to stop it.
—Kevin Freking, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2025
As in years past, Democrats were powerless to stop Republican bills and were often knocked back in committee, even on issues with bipartisan agreement.
—Melissa Brown, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for powerless
Kevin Freking, Twin Cities, 5 July 2025
As the minority party in both chambers, Democrats were powerless to block the legislation on their own, since Republicans moved it on a procedural fast-track that side-stepped the Senate filibuster.
—Mike Lillis, The Hill, 3 July 2025
Democrats united against the legislation, but were powerless to stop it.
—Kevin Freking, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2025
As in years past, Democrats were powerless to stop Republican bills and were often knocked back in committee, even on issues with bipartisan agreement.
—Melissa Brown, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for powerless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for powerless
Adjective
-
Hosts aren’t totally helpless in the face of these wasps.—
Avery Hurt,
Discover Magazine,
14 July 2025
-
Granted, Jess is helpless, and in classic Lena Dunham fashion, more than a bit of this episode is dedicated to showing off her flaws.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
10 July 2025
Adjective
-
Carl Schulze, of Neenah, has used a wheelchair since 2007, when an accident severed his spinal cord and left him completely paralyzed.—
Madeline Heim,
jsonline.com,
26 July 2025
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In June 2022, his face was left partially paralyzed following a Ramsay Hunt Syndrome diagnosis, which forced him to halt his Justice tour and then cancel it entirely.—
Althea Legaspi,
Rolling Stone,
23 July 2025
Adjective
-
This weak cash generation capability raises questions about the company’s ability to fund growth investments and return capital to shareholders.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
21 July 2025
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Those weak harvests, in turn, are due to drought and high temperatures and more generally climate change, which has negatively impacted coffee harvests for several years.—
Jaclyn Diaz,
NPR,
21 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Powerless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/powerless. Accessed 4 Aug. 2025.
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