helplessly
/ˈhɛlpləsli/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.80 in modern English
18
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
3
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
adv
Without protection or assistance.
adv
Without the ability to help oneself.
Example Sentences
- "The fish flopped helplessly in the tiny remaining pool."
- "The day of our arrival two belugas had accidentally become grounded in the shallows of a river delta near the station, and now that the tide had gone out, they seemed helplessly stuck."
- "The boy rolled on the floor laughing helplessly."
- "The whole covey of victims was thus netted; the household ruin was thus full and orbicular; and in that proportion the tendency of men and women, flutter as they might, would be helplessly and hopelessly to sink into the all-conquering hands of the mighty murderer."
- "The spectators gaped helplessly as the balloon approached the power lines."
Etymology
Etymology tree English helpless Middle English -ly English -ly English helplessly From helpless + -ly.
Inflected Forms
more helplessly (comparative)
most helplessly (superlative)