Powerlessness Meaning
/pˈaʊərləsnəs/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounThe state or character of being powerless; absence or lack of power.
Sentence Examples
If knowledge is power, ignorance is powerlessness.
The feeling of powerlessness overwhelms me.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ of the villagers was clear when the flood destroyed their homes.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The sense of ____ experienced by victims of fraud can be as damaging as the financial loss itself.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree English powerless Proto-Germanic *-inōną Proto-Indo-European *-dyé- Proto-Germanic *-atjaną Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Germanic *-þuz Proto-Germanic *-assuz Proto-Germanic *-inassuz Proto-West Germanic *-nassī Old English -nes Middle English -nesse English -ness English powerlessness From powerless + -ness.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"In July 1717, a commission established by Orléans to adjudicate the issue had emphatically denied the successoral claims of the two brothers, and the Regent declared himself in a state of ‘happy powerlessness to alienate the crown's domain’."
— 2002, Colin Jones, The Great Nation, Penguin, published 2003, page 47:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ of the villagers was clear when the flood destroyed their homes.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The sense of ____ experienced by victims of fraud can be as damaging as the financial loss itself.