pow·er·less

[pou-er-lis]
adjective
1.
unable to produce an effect: a disease against which modern medicine is virtually powerless.
2.
lacking power to act; helpless: His legs crumpled, and he was powerless to rise.

Origin:
1545–55; power + -less

pow·er·less·ly, adverb
pow·er·less·ness, noun


1. ineffective. 2. feeble, impotent, prostrate, infirm.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To powerless
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World English Dictionary
powerless (ˈpaʊəlɪs) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
adj
without power or authority
 
'powerlessly
 
adv
 
'powerlessness
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
00:10
Powerless is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
Example sentences
The powerless twin was unable to reach a nearby airport and made a forced
  landing in the backyard of a private residence.
The rule of corporations, as she sees it, is inherently repressive and
  exploitative of powerless citizens.
In other experiments, consumers who felt powerless and alone chose larger
  portions than participants in the control group.
All of these friends let her down, mainly because they were powerless.
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