Helplessly

//ˈhɛlpləsli// adv

adv ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Adverb
  1. 1
    Without protection or assistance.

    "The fish flopped helplessly in the tiny remaining pool."

  2. 2
    Without the ability to help oneself.

    "The boy rolled on the floor laughing helplessly."

  3. 3
    Without the ability to react actively.

    "The spectators gaped helplessly as the balloon approached the power lines."

Adverb
  1. 1
    in a helpless manner wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
impotentlywilly nilly

Example

More examples

"Layla watched helplessly as Sami turned the knife on her little brother."

Etymology

From helpless + -ly.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.