powerlessness revealed by an inability to act; "in spite of their weakness the group remains active"
helplessness
How to use helplessness in a sentence. Example sentences and definitions for helplessness.
Editorial note
Weird stuff like traffic lights gave me this feeling of helplessness.
Quick take
powerlessness revealed by an inability to act; "in spite of their weakness the group remains active"
Meaning at a glance
The clearest senses and uses of helplessness gathered in one view.
the state of needing help from something
a feeling of being unable to manage
Definitions
Core meanings and parts of speech for helplessness.
noun
powerlessness revealed by an inability to act; "in spite of their weakness the group remains active"
See also: weakness, impuissance
noun
the state of needing help from something
noun
a feeling of being unable to manage
Example sentences
Weird stuff like traffic lights gave me this feeling of helplessness.
A feeling of utter helplessness is very alien to them.
I have no criticism or suggestions to offer, just vague frustration and helplessness.
It's coming to terms with that helplessness and digging out pockets of jugaad from that black mass of helplessness is what makes India tick.
It's hard to describe the feeling of helplessness when you watch industry peers get systematically attacked like that.
It's actually very very similar to the studies on 'learned helplessness' that they do with rats, where they see how long they swim before they drown.
The worst thing about things like this happening is the feeling of helplessness when you can't reach anyone in the company or when they just say "it's not a problem".
I think that so many people in the modern world suffer from learned helplessness[1], where they think that the situation leaves them with no ability to impact events.
And so I came to adopt a mentality of learned helplessness: an overreliance on the hope that, someday, somehow, my ship would come in.
Curious: apart from methodical patience, what super power do you believe Patrick was "very good at"?I'm confirming too many people's biases by commenting on a 'patio11 thread about 'patio11, but the deliberately assumed helplessness of HN'ers when it comes to business is one of those things that drives me fucking bananas.
I'll be off your lawn in a moment, but first, you might want to consider that just because something can be done the old way doesn't mean that that's superior, that smartphones are in fact very good at showing you new places to go, and that "wanting machines to do tasks that machines are better at than humans" and "helplessness" are not synonymous.
I once thought of moving over to Silicon Valley, but by now I'm pretty glad that everything I want has moved over here without bringing the TSA, mass surveillance, corporate politics, discussion about the validity of evolution, a deadlocked two-party system and a growing helplessness over the unstoppable and unlimited capitalism that's ruining society already over there.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers drawn from the clearest meanings and examples for this word.
How do you use helplessness in a sentence?
Weird stuff like traffic lights gave me this feeling of helplessness.
What does helplessness mean?
powerlessness revealed by an inability to act; "in spite of their weakness the group remains active"
What part of speech is helplessness?
helplessness is commonly used as noun.