Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definitions: Helplessness |
HelplessnessNoun1. Powerlessness revealed by an inability to act; "in spite of their weakness the group remains highly active". 2. The state of needing help from something. 3. A feeling of being unable to manage. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "helplessness" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1258. (references) |
Synonyms: HelplessnessSynonyms: impuissance (n), weakness (n). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Impotence | Helplessness; Adjective: prostration, paralysis, palsy, apoplexy, syncope, sideration, deliquium, collapse, exhaustion, softening of the brain, inanition; emasculation, orchiotomy, orchotomy. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
Crosswords: Helplessness |
| English words defined with "helplessness": Alzheimer's, Alzheimer's disease ♦ resistless ♦ supine ♦ unresisting. (references) |
| Specialty definitions using "helplessness": Jansenists ♦ symbol. (references) |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | Well, enough rage and helplessness and your love turns to something else. (The Sweet Hereafter; writing credit: Atom Egoyan) The enemy's an age -- a nuclear age. It happens to have killed man's faith in his ability to influence what happens to him. And out of this comes a sickness, and out of sickness a frustration, a feeling of impotence, helplessness, weakness. (Seven Days in May; writing credit: Fletcher Knebel; Charles W. Bailey II) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title |
Books |
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Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Women | Swaziland | Rape also is common and regarded by many men as a minor offense, while women are inhibited from reporting such crimes by a sense of shame and helplessness, especially when incest is involved. (references) |
Lexicography | Devil's Dictionary | SYMBOL, n. Something that is supposed to typify or stand for something else. Many symbols are mere "survivals" -- things which having no longer any utility continue to exist because we have inherited the tendency to make them; as funereal urns carved on memorial monuments. They were once real urns holding the ashes of the dead. We cannot stop making them, but we can give them a name that conceals our helplessness. |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| Speaker | Phrase(s) |
Marla Hanson | I mean, there are things that trigger a sound, a smell, a certain situation, a feeling of helplessness. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| "Helplessness" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 100.00% of the time. "Helplessness" is used about 237 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Noun (singular) | 100% | 237 | 19,467 |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day |
helplessness learned | 53 |
helplessness | 7 |
helplessness learned seligman | 3 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Language | Translations for "helplessness"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chinese | 一蹶不振. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Danish | hjaelpeloeshed. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dutch | uitkering bij hulpbehoevendheid (helplessness allowance). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Finnish | avuttomuus. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
French | misère, impuissance. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
German | hilflosigkeit (cluelessness, defenselessness, impotence, shiftlessness), ratlosigkeit (abulia, bewilderment, cluelessness, perplexity). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Greek | ανικανότησ (impotence, impotency, inability, incapableness, incapacity, inefficiency, shiftlessness), ανικανότητα (disability, disablement, disqualification, impotence, impotency, inability, incapability, incapableness, incapacity, incompetence, inefficiency, shiftlessness), αδεξιότησ (awkwardness, inaptitude, inaptitudeness, loutishness, muff, sloughiness, ungainliness, unhandiness, unskillfulness), αδεξιότητα (awkwardness, clumsiness, gaucherie, inaptitude, inaptitudeness, loutishness, muff, sloughiness, ungainliness, unhandiness, unskillfulness). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hebrew | קוצר י" (impotence, powerlessness), אזלת י" (exhaustion, weakness). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hungarian | tehetetlenség (impotence, impotency, inability, inertia, inertness, paralysis, powerlessness), gyámoltalanság, ügyefogyottság (gawkiness). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Indonesian | ketidakberdayaan (hopelessness), ketakberdayaan. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Italian | mancanza di aiuto. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Japanese Kanji | 孤立 (isolation). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Japanese Katakana | "りつ (isolation), むりょく (incompetent, powerlessness). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Korean | 백계무책. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Manx | drollaneys (indolence, laziness, shiftlessness), anheiltys (decrepitude, disability). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pig Latin | elplessnesshay desamparo (abandonment, dereliction, destitution, friendly, lurch), abandono (abandon, abandonment, dereliction, desertion, disposal, forgoing, lurch, moving out of tenant to elude payment of ground rent, neglect, quitclaim, renouncement, renunciation, resignation, waiver). (various references) neputinţã (decrepitude, disability, emasculation, impotence, impotency, indefensibility, infirmity, palsy), neajutorare (indefensibility), impotenţã (impotence, impotency), boşorogealã (decrepitude). (various references) беспомощность (hopelessness, impotence, impotency, shiftlessness). (various references) bespomoćnost (helpfulness). (various references) falta de ayuda (lack of supply). (various references) hjälplöshet. (various references) tình trạng không tự lo liệu được, tình trạng không tự lực được tình trạng không được sự giúp đỡ, tình trạng không nơi nương tựa, tình trạng bơ vơ. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "helplessness": helplessnesses. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "helplessness" (pronounced he"lplusnus) |
| 7 | -p l u s n u s | hopelessness. |
| 6 | -l u s n u s | callousness, carelessness, homelessness, joblessness, lawlessness, powerlessness, recklessness, restlessness, ruthlessness, selflessness, weightlessness. |
| 5 | -u s n u s | cautiousness, consciousness, contagiousness, contentiousness, disingenuousness, fractiousness, graciousness, nervousness, outrageousness, pompousness, rebelliousness, righteousness, seriousness, unconsciousness, viciousness. |
| 4 | -s n u s | closeness, hoarseness, niceness. |
| 3 | -n u s | abruptness, absoluteness, acuteness, aggressiveness, agribusiness, airworthiness, alertness, aloofness, alumnus, Anas, androgynous, anise, appropriateness, arbitrariness, assertiveness, astuteness, asynchronous, attentiveness, attractiveness, awareness, awfulness, awkwardness, backwardness, badness, bagginess, baldness, bearishness, bigness, bitterness, bituminous, blackness, blandness, bleakness, blindness, bluntness, boldness, bonus, boorishness, brashness, brightness, bullishness, business, calmness, casualness, cavernous, cheapness, chitinous, cleanliness, cleanness, cleverness, cloudiness, clumsiness, cockiness, cohesiveness, coldness, Colonus, combativeness, compactness, competitiveness, completeness, contrariness, Conus, coolness, correctness, coziness, craziness, creativeness, creditworthiness, creepiness, crispness, crookedness, cuteness, dampness, darkness, Deaconess, deadliness, deafness, decisiveness, defensiveness, destructiveness, directness, distinctiveness, divisiveness, dizziness, dreariness, drowsiness, drunkenness, dryness, dullness, eagerness, earnestness, edginess, effectiveness, elusiveness, emptiness, evenness, exogenous, eyewitness, faintness, fairness, farsightedness, fastness, fickleness, firmness, fitness, flatness, fondness, foolishness, forcefulness, forgiveness, forthrightness, foulness, frankness, freshness, friendliness, frothiness, fullness, funniness, furnace, gauntness, gayness, gelatinous, gentleness, genuineness, genus, ghastliness, gluttonous, goodness, governess, greatness, greenness, grimness, hairiness, handedness, happiness, hardness, harmfulness, harness, harshness, heinous, highness, holiness, homesickness, homogenous, hopefulness, humanness, idleness, illness, inclusiveness, indebtedness, indecisiveness, indigenous, ineffectiveness, ineptness, inertness, intravenous, intrusiveness, inventiveness, Johannes, kindness, larcenous, largeness, lateness, laziness, lenis, lightfastness, lightness, likeness, liveliness, loneliness, lousiness, luminous, madness, Manus, meanness, membranous, menace, Minas, mindedness, minus, monotonous, mountainous, mutinous, narrowness, nastiness, nearsightedness, neatness, newness, niggardliness, nitrogenous, nonbusiness, nonpoisonous, nosiness, nothingness, numbness, ominous, oneness, onus, openness, orderliness, otherness, outspokenness, pandanus, peacefulness, penis, permissiveness, persuasiveness, pervasiveness, pettiness, playfulness, poisonous, politeness, polygynous, possessiveness, preparedness, queasiness, quickness, quietness, raciness, randomness, rareness, ravenous, rawness, readiness, reasonableness, redness, remoteness, resistiveness, resourcefulness, responsiveness, restiveness, restrictiveness, richness, rightness, riskiness, robustness, roominess, roughness, rowdiness, rudeness, ruinous, sacredness, sadness, Salinas, sameness, scantiness, secretiveness, selfishness, sensitiveness, separateness, shakiness, shallowness, sharpness, shortness, shortsightedness, shrewdness, shyness, sickness, silliness, sinus, skittishness, slackness, sleepiness, sloppiness, slovenliness, slowness, sluggishness, slyness, smallness, smoothness, smugness, softness, solitariness, soundness, spiritedness, squeamishness, starkness, steadfastness, steadiness, steepness, sternness, stiffness, stillness, stinginess, stoutness, strangeness, stubbornness, sturdiness, suddenness, suggestiveness, sweetness, swiftness, tardiness, tartness, tastiness, tenderness, tetanus, thickness, thinness, thoroughness, thoughtfulness, tightness, timeliness, tiredness, togetherness, toughness, trustworthiness, truthfulness, ugliness, uneasiness, unfairness, unhappiness, uniqueness, unpleasantness, unwieldiness, unwillingness, usefulness, vagueness, vastness, venous, villainous, vindictiveness, vividness, voluminous, wariness, wastefulness, waterishness, weakness, weariness, weirdness, wellness, wetness, whiteness, wholeness, wholesomeness, wickedness, wilderness, wildness, willingness, wimpiness, wistfulness, witness, wonderfulness, worldliness, worthiness, wryness. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "e-e-e-h-l-l-n-p-s-s-s-s" | |
-3 letters: senseless, sleepless. | |
-4 letters: heelless, helpless, lensless, sneeshes. | |
-5 letters: lessees, lessens, pensees, spenses, sphenes, spleens. | |
| Words containing the letters "e-e-e-h-l-l-n-p-s-s-s-s" | |
+2 letters: helplessnesses. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
Hexadecimal (or equivalents, 770AD-1900s) (references)48 65 6C 70 6C 65 73 73 6E 65 73 73 |
| Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519; backwards) (references)
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| American Sign Language (origins from 1620-1817 in Italy and, especially, France) (references)
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| Semaphore (1791, in France) (references)
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| Braille (1829, in France) (references)
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Morse Code (1836) (references).... . .-.. .--. .-.. . ... ... -. . ... ... |
| Dancing Men (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 1903) (references)
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Binary Code (1918-1938, probably earlier) (references)01001000 01100101 01101100 01110000 01101100 01100101 01110011 01110011 01101110 01100101 01110011 01110011 |
HTML Code (1990) (references)H e l p l e s s n e s s |
ISO 10646 (1991-1993) (references)0048 0065 006C 0070 006C 0065 0073 0073 006E 0065 0073 0073 |
| British Sign Language (Fingerspelling, BSL; 1992, British Deaf Association Dictionary of British Sign Language) (references)
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Encryption (beginner's substitution cypher): (references)427178827871858580718585 |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Modern | 5. Usage: Commercial 6. Images: Slideshow 7. Quotations: Non-fiction 8. Quotations: Spoken | 9. Usage Frequency 10. Expressions: Internet 11. Translations: Modern 12. Derivations | 13. Rhymes 14. Anagrams 15. Orthography 16. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
