helplessness

help·less

H0138500 (hĕlp′lĭs)adj.1. Unable to help oneself; powerless or incompetent.2. Lacking support or protection: They were left helpless in the storm.3. Impossible to control; involuntary: helpless laughter.

help′less·ly adv.help′less·ness n.

Helplessness

As defenseless [without a gun] as a tethered goat in a jungle —Eric Ambler
Brutally as on a gag in her mouth, she choked on the sense of her defenselessness —Dorothy Canfield Fisher
Chucked about like a cork —Nicholas Monsarrat
Feel like a card in a deck that is being constantly shuffled —W. P. Kinsella
Feel like a rookie runner caught off base by a wily pitcher, hung up in that vast area between first and second, fluttering back and forth like a wounded bird who knows he’s doomed —W. P. Kinsella
See Also: BASEBALL
Felt as a lost sailor on a sinking ship might feel, who throws his last rope, and no saving hands to grasp it —Stella Benson
Felt [as result of being moved to another home by grandparents] as if I was being kidnapped —Elizabeth Bishop
Felt helpless, like a rape victim —Rose Tremain
Felt helpless, as if he were involved in some disgraceful fraud —Katherine Anne Porter
Felt helpless, like a dog that’s been run over —Robert Lowry
Felt I was nothing but a husk blown this way and that way by the winds of misfortune —Angela Carter
Felt like a beast in a trap, whose enemy would come upon him soon —H. G. Wells
Felt like a bone between dogs —Julia O’Faolain
Felt like a man trapped in a swamp —Donald MacKenzie
Felt like a marionette, as though something outside her were jerking the strings that forced her to scream and strike —Jean Rhys
Felt like a wounded fish who faced a larger hungry fish —William Beechcroft
Felt more and more like a soldier being pitched into battle without proper orders —John Fowles
Felt ridiculous and out of control, like an engine breaking itself apart —Mark Helprin
Helpless and hopeful as a blade of grass —George Garrett
See Also: HOPE
Get tossed like salad —Charles Bukowski
Helpless … as a hooked fish swinging to land —Thomas Hardy
Helpless as a lion without teeth —F. Scott Fitzgerald
Helpless as an infant caterpillar in a nest of hungry ants —James Montgomery
Helpless as a plant without water —F. Hopkinson Smith
Helpless [against tide of emotions] as a swimmer swept away in a strong current —Margaret Kennedy
Helpless as a turtle on its back —O. Henry
Helpless as a writhing beetle on its back —Robert Traver
(I have become as) helpless as if the branch I seize and the one I stood upon both broke at the same time —Tamil
Helpless as shadows —Jean Garrigue
Helpless as the dead —W. S. Gilbert
Helpless as the owner of a sick goldfish —Kin Hubbard
Helpless … like a man with a rumbling volcano in his pocket, trying to hold back the eruption with his naked hand —Irving Stone
Impotent yet defiant … like a wild animal driven into a hole or fettered to a stake —Arthur Train
It was like being in an elevator cut loose at the top. Falling, falling, and not knowing when you will hit —Margaret Atwood
I was like a lamb or an ox that is brought to the slaughter —The Holy Bible/Jeremiah
Lame as a butterfly spread on a pin —Shirley Kaufman
Like elastic, stretched beyond its uttermost, his reason, will, faculties of calculation and resolve snapped to within him —John Galsworthy
Looked like sheep looking for their shepherd —W. Somerset Maugham
My will was a leaf in a gust of wind —Natascha Wodin
Powerless … as a stone —Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Powerless as before a cataract —Simone de Beauvoir
Powerless as the wind —Percy Bysshe Shelley
The sense of being trapped ran through him like fire through dry grass —Ben Ames Williams
Sense of helplessness … like a soft-shell crab that just shed its shell —Kenzaburo Oë
Sinking under the leaden embrace of her affection like a swimmer in a drowning clutch —Edith Wharton
The situation [of tumbling stock market prices] is like being caught in the Bermuda Triangle —Harvey P. Eisen, New York Times, January, 1986
Tossed about like an empty can in the sea —Romain Gary
Tossed about like cattle on a train —Ignazio Silone
Tossed about like twigs in an angry water —Willa Cather
Unable to do anything … it was like watching a big cat thrash around in a cage and being helpless to free the beast —May Sarton
Watching a friend fail … it’s like a bunch of lifeguards standing and watching their friend drown —Robin Williams, “Sixty Minutes” interview, September 21, 1986
The comedian’s comparison described how comedians feel when they watch one of their own fail on stage.
We’re all drawn by wires like puppets, and the strongest wire pulls us in the direction in which we are meant to go —Ellen Glasgow
Without power, like a buzzing horsefly —George Garrett
Worked by strings, like a Japanese marionette —W. S. Gilbert
Wriggling helplessly, like a butterfly impaled by a pin —Louis Bromfield

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	helplessness - powerlessness revealed by an inability to act; "in spite of their weakness the group remains active"impuissance, weaknessimpotence, impotency, powerlessness - the quality of lacking strength or power; being weak and feeble
	2.	helplessness - the state of needing help from somethingdependence, dependency, dependance - the state of relying on or being controlled by someone or something else
	3.	helplessness - a feeling of being unable to managedepression - sad feelings of gloom and inadequacy

helplessness

noun vulnerability, weakness, impotence, powerlessness, disability, infirmity, feebleness, forlornness, defencelessness I remember my feelings of helplessness.

helplessness

nounThe condition or state of being incapable of accomplishing or effecting anything:impotence, inadequacy, incapability, ineffectiveness, ineffectuality, ineffectualness, inefficacy, powerlessness, uselessness.

Translations

无可奈何无能为力

help

(help) verb1. to do something with or for someone that he cannot do alone, or that he will find useful. Will you help me with this translation?; Will you please help me (to) translate this poem?; Can I help?; He fell down and I helped him up.帮助2. to play a part in something; to improve or advance. Bright posters will help to attract the public to the exhibition; Good exam results will help his chances of a job.促进3. to make less bad. An aspirin will help your headache.补救4. to serve (a person) in a shop. Can I help you, sir? （在商店）服务 5. (with can(not), ~could (not)) to be able not to do something or to prevent something. He looked so funny that I couldn't help laughing; Can I help it if it rains? 无法避免，忍不住 noun1. the act of helping, or the result of this. Can you give me some help?; Your digging the garden was a big help; Can I be of help to you?帮助2. someone or something that is useful. You're a great help to me.有用3. a servant, farmworker etc. She has hired a new help.帮手4. (usually with no) a way of preventing something. Even if you don't want to do it, the decision has been made – there's no help for it now.阻止某事的方法ˈhelper nounWe need several helpers for this job.助手ˈhelpful adjectivea very helpful boy; You may find this book helpful.有帮助的ˈhelpfully adverb有帮助地ˈhelpfulness noun有帮助ˈhelping noun the amount of food one has on one's plate. a large helping of pudding. （食物的）一份 ˈhelpless adjective needing the help of other people; unable to do anything for oneself. A baby is almost completely helpless. 无助的，无依靠的 ˈhelplessly adverb 无能为力地，无助地 ˈhelplessness noun 无可奈何，无能为力 help oneself1. (with to) to give oneself or take (food etc). Help yourself to another piece of cake; `Can I have a pencil?' `Certainly – help yourself; He helped himself to (= stole) my jewellery. 自用，自取所需（食物等） 2. (with cannot, ~could not) to be able to stop (oneself). I burst out laughing when he told me – I just couldn't help myself.抑制help out to help (a person), usually for a short time because the person is in some difficulty. I help out in the shop from time to time; Could you help me out by looking after the baby? 帮助解决难题，（常指某人有困难暂时）帮忙

helplessness

[help´les-nes] a feeling that one's efforts as an individual will not influence the outcome of a situation. Patients may experience learned helplessness as a result of overly rigid institutional rules or behaviors of staff members. Individualized care fosters self-esteem and will assist in the prevention of helplessness.

helplessness

A feeling of dependence, powerlessness, defenselessness, or depression, e.g., in the face of crisis or overwhelming circumstances. See: hopelessness; powerlessness

learned helplessness

A passive fatalistic behavior that one cannot influence one's environment, or alter one's existence. This condition may sometimes arise in persons who have chronic illnesses, depression, phobias, or loss of functional independence.

Patient discussion about helplessness

Q. My pot shape belly is worrying me a lot and now I am helpless to bring it to right shape. What can help me? My pot shape belly is worrying me a lot and now I am helpless to bring it to right shape. My work is computer related and the shift schedule is so tough that I am left with no time for gym and exercise. There is a growth in my hips size as well and I feel completely uncomfortable. My body becomes completely heated after my work. I eat my meals regularly as I know pretty well that dieting without exercise does more harm than any good and I feel stressed. What can help me?A. You reduce on your diet to small diet as it will be burned. Once the food is used by the body it won’t pound on your body. To reduce the gained fat and belly you have to do some exercise to excite muscles to form in the areas where you require and to reduce the excess fat where not required, especially at your belly and hips. I think you must go for swimming and this will definitely help ease your problems to a considerable level.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXfCA9OaKKc&eurl=http://www.imedix.com/health_community/vNXfCA9OaKKc_losing_belly_fat_tips_both_men_women?q=reduce%20belly%20diet%20f&feature=player_embedded

Q. Why is the cancer make people die? I saw alot of people who die because cancer. I feel afraid of it.A. Cancer is a a big and somewhat scary name for many malignant tumors that can grow anywhere in the body. The reason the disease can sometimes cause death is because the tumor cells grow much faster than healthy body cells, thus they invade in different tissues and organs of the body and make them stop functioning properly. You don't need to be afraid of the idea, because although that is one of the biggest medical problems nowadays, there are some very good treatments for many cancers and a lot of the people are cured completely. Cancer does not mean the same as death and the focus should be on early diagnosis and treatment.

More discussions about helplessness

helplessness

help·less

Helplessness

helplessness

helplessness

help

helplessness

helplessness

helplessness

learned helplessness

Patient discussion about helplessness

helplessness

Synonyms for helplessness

noun vulnerability

Synonyms

Synonyms for helplessness

noun the condition or state of being incapable of accomplishing or effecting anything

Synonyms

Synonyms for helplessness

noun powerlessness revealed by an inability to act

Synonyms

Related Words

noun the state of needing help from something

Related Words

noun a feeling of being unable to manage

Related Words