How do you pronounce helpless?

The recorded pronunciation is /ˈhɛlplɪs/.

Where does helpless come from?

It is traced to Middle English.

helpless

/ˈhɛlplɪs/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.69 in modern English

Syllables: help-less
IPA: /ˈhɛlplɪs/

Scrabble Score

Letters

Syllables

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Unable to defend oneself.

adj

Lacking help; powerless.

adj

Unable to act without help; needing help; feeble.

adj

Uncontrollable.

adj

From which there is no possibility of being saved.

Obsolete

Example Sentences

"Then when you find yourself lyin' helpless in her arms You know you really love a woman"
"Rana Thanoptis: Are we good? Can I go? Shepard: You conducted brutal experiments on helpless test subjects. You helped Saren. You don't get to live."
"A gaoler struck him, pushing him back in place in the hopeless, helpless line of prisoners."
"a helpless urge"
"For, while they fly that gulf's devouring jawes, They on the rock are rent and sunck in helplesse wawes."

Etymology

From Middle English helples, from Old English *helplēas (“helpless”) from Proto-Germanic *helpōlausaz, equivalent to help + -less. Compare Dutch hulpeloos (“helpless”), German hilflos (“helpless”), Danish hjælpeløs (“helpless”) and Swedish hjälplös (“helpless”).

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: helples, *helplēas, *helpōlausaz
Suffix: help

Usage

Obsolete

Inflected Forms

more helpless (comparative) most helpless (superlative)

Derived Forms

helplessdesk helplessly helplessness

Synonyms

lost incapacitated