Powerless Meaning
/ˈpaʊɚləs/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjLacking sufficient power or strength.
adjLacking legal authority.
Sentence Examples
Human beings are powerless before nature.
She's weak, powerless. A mere human.
He was powerless in the face of death.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The mechanic felt ____ because the broken machine had no electricity to run.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
She felt completely ____ to stop the events unfolding around her despite her best efforts.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English pouerles, powerles, equivalent to power + -less.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"In Sweden, as we saw, the mistletoe which is gathered on Midsummer Eve is attached to the ceiling of the house, the horse's stall or the cow's crib, in the belief that this renders the Troll powerless to injure man and beast."
— 1890, James George Frazer, The Golden Bough, volume 2, page 362:
"“Imagine the growing regrets, the longing to escape, the powerless disgust, the surrender, the hate.”"
— 1899 February, Joseph Conrad, “The Heart of Darkness”, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, volume CLXV, number M, New York, N.Y.: The Leonard Scott Publishing Company, […], →OCLC, part I, page 196:
"It is said that his right arm had grown powerless from having been raised so often over the heads of those whom he baptized."
— 1914, James Joyce, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man:
"One thing is clear: after the first accident had occurred, the enginemen on the down express were powerless to avoid the second collision."
— 1952 December, “The Harrow Accident”, in Railway Magazine, page 789:
"Tilling my own grave to keep me level
Jam another dragon down the hole
Digging to the rhythm and the echo of a solitary siren
One that pushes me along and leaves me so
Desperate and ravenous
I'm so weak and powerless
Over you"
— 2003, “Weak and Powerless”, performed by A Perfect Circle:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The mechanic felt ____ because the broken machine had no electricity to run.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
She felt completely ____ to stop the events unfolding around her despite her best efforts.