Meaning & use
powerless
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Meaning
adjectivecomparable
Without the strength, control or authority needed to act or to change what is happening.
Grammar: Often followed by to plus a verb: powerless to stop it, or used after a linking verb: She felt powerless.
Patterns
- powerless to do something
- powerless against something
- feel powerless
The villagers were powerless to stop the flood from reaching their homes.
He felt powerless as he watched his team lose.
The council is powerless without support from the government.
Word forms
| comparative | more powerless |
|---|---|
| superlative | most powerless |
Common combinations
- powerless to stop
- Doctors were powerless to stop the infection from spreading.
- feel powerless
- Many workers feel powerless when companies cut jobs.
- powerless against
- Small boats are powerless against such a strong current.
- completely powerless
- Without the key, the guard was completely powerless.
- render powerless
- The new rules render the committee powerless.
Synonyms and how they differ
- helpless
- Helpless stresses being unable to look after yourself or get help, while powerless stresses lacking control or authority.
- impotent
- Impotent is stronger and more formal, often suggesting a pitiful lack of effect, and it also has a medical meaning.
- defenseless
- Defenseless means having no protection from attack, whereas powerless covers any lack of ability to change things.
- ineffective
- Ineffective describes something that fails to produce results, while powerless describes a lack of means to act at all.
Opposites
Word family
- power noun
- the ability or authority to do something
- powerlessness noun
- the state of lacking control or authority
- powerlessly adverb
- in a way that shows no ability to act
- empower verb
- to give someone more control or authority
- powerful adjective
- having great strength or influence
Commonly confused: powerless or helpless?
powerless vs helpless
Helpless focuses on being unable to cope or protect yourself, as with a baby. Powerless focuses on lacking the means to influence a situation.
Practice
The residents were ___ to prevent the factory from closing, despite their petitions.
Choose one answer.
Powerless to prevent means unable to stop something. Powerful would reverse the meaning, and powerfully and power are the wrong parts of speech after were.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “powerless”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.