English Meaning & Definitions
The state or condition of lacking strength, influence, or the ability to control events or one's own life.
- “She felt a deep sense of powerlessness as she watched her home flood.”
- “The victims of the disaster struggled with overwhelming powerlessness.”
English Synonyms & Near Equivalents
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for “powerlessness”.
Derived from the noun 'power' (from Old French 'poeir', ultimately from Latin 'posse' meaning 'to be able'), combined with the suffix '-less' (denoting lack or absence of, from Old Germanic) and the nominalizing suffix '-ness' (denoting a state or condition, from Old English '-nes').
Break it down: 'power' + 'less' (without) + 'ness' (the state of being). It literally means the state of being without power.
Frequently Asked Questions About “powerlessness”
1. What is the meaning of “powerlessness” in English?
In English, powerlessness (noun) is defined as: “The state or condition of lacking strength, influence, or the ability to control events or one's own life.”.
2. How do you use “powerlessness” in a sentence?
“She felt a deep sense of powerlessness as she watched her home flood.”
3. What are English synonyms of “powerlessness”?
4. What is the etymology and word origin of “powerlessness”?
Derived from the noun 'power' (from Old French 'poeir', ultimately from Latin 'posse' meaning 'to be able'), combined with the suffix '-less' (denoting lack or absence of, from Old Germanic) and the nominalizing suffix '-ness' (denoting a state or condition, from Old English '-nes').
🇬🇧More English Words to English
View all English words →A measurement of time indicating an instantaneous occurrence or a state where no time has elapsed.
The base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), equal to the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium-133 atom.
A specific duration of time equal to one hour and forty-six minutes and twelve seconds.
The cardinal number equal to one thousand million (1,000,000,000), expressed in scientific notation as 10^9.