Word family noun help helper helpfulness ≠ unhelpfulness helping helplessness adjective helpful ≠ unhelpful helpless verb help adverb helpfully ≠ unhelpfully helplessly
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishhelplesshelp‧less /ˈhelpləs/ ●○○ adjective 1 HELPunable to look after yourself or to do anything to help yourself He began to feel depressed and helpless. a vicious attack on a helpless victim Newman threw out a hand in a helpless gesture.2 CONTROLunable to control a strong feeling that you havehelpless with He was near to death, and I was helpless with fear.helpless laughter/rage/tears etc We both collapsed into helpless giggles. —helplessly adverb —helplessness noun [uncountable]Examples from the Corpus
helpless• They were terrified, but they were no longer utterly helpless.• Frightened and helpless, Alvin wondered if they might kill him.• His mother's death left the boy feeling utterly helpless and alone.• I hate the thought of helpless animals being killed.• Doctors are rendered helpless by the lack of supplies.• Looking down through the iron grids of the stairway, I had to fight back a helpless feeling of vertigo.• I feel pretty helpless, have a good cry and share my grief with colleagues who also knew David.• Parents often feel helpless, knowing that all the cuddles in the world won't stop the tears.• Why are you so afraid of a helpless old woman?• She looked back on the transformation in herself with a kind of helpless resignation.• While she appeared to be confused and helpless, she was also hostile.helpless laughter/rage/tears etc• I am terrified to look at them because I know I will collapse into helpless laughter.• He sobbed - with helpless rage more than fear of dying.• I flipped from fury straight into hilarity and collapsed on the ground beside him, rolling around in helpless laughter too. 