Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

powerless

 adjective
     
pow‧er‧less
unable to stop or control something because you do not have the power, strength, or legal right to do so [↪ powerful]:
He felt so powerless.
powerless to do something
Local police were powerless to stop them doing it again.
powerless against
The villagers were powerless against the rising flood water.
—powerlessly adverb
—powerlessness noun [uncountable]
a sense of frustration and powerlessness
WORD FOCUS: weak WORD FOCUS: weak
person: puny, feeble, weedy British English, frail, fragile, powerless, vulnerable
thing: fragile, delicate, flimsy, rickety, badly made, jerry-built

➔ See also weak
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
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