helplessness
nounUS /ˈhɛlplɪsnɪs/
Etymology From helpless + -ness.
1
Usually The state of being helpless.
- Near-synonyms: powerlessness, impotence
- From the most ancient times to the present, in the crudest primitive tribe or the most magnificently ornamented civilization, man has found himself in a state of awed helplessness when confronted by the phenomena of strange illnesses or aberrations.1950, L. Ron Hubbard, Dianetics, New Era Publications, published 1999, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 10:
1 more example
- ADAM: 'You are faced with overwhelming power. Accept your helplessness.'2021 October 8, Metroid Dread, Nintendo, Nintendo Switch, scene: Adam Briefing, level/area: Cataris:
2
Usually A feeling of inadequacy or impotence.
- Captain Edward Carlisle, soldier as he was, martinet as he was, felt a curious sensation of helplessness seize upon him as he met her steady gaze, her alluring smile ; he could not tell what this prisoner might do.1910, Emerson Hough, chapter I, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
- Derived terms
- learned helplessness