powerless
gb/pˈaʊɚləs/ us/pˈaʊɚləs/
B1
Engleză
~ 7400
Sensuri
0 sensuri
adjective
B1
property
1
having no power or control
Not able to control what happens or to do anything to change it.
Tipar de utilizare:
[someone] is powerless to [verb]
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners sometimes confuse "powerless" with "tired" or "weak" in a physical sense. "Powerless" usually focuses on not being able to control a situation or make a change, not just having low energy. Also, learners may say "powerless for do" instead of the correct patterns "powerless to do" or "powerless against".
Sinonime
helpless (Focuses on being unable to do anything to improve a bad situation.)
|
impotent (More formal; often used about having no real power or influence, especially in politics or organizations.)
|
defenseless (Emphasizes not being able to protect yourself from harm or attack.)
Antonime
powerful (Has the power, strength, or influence that 'powerless' lacks.)
|
in control (Able to direct events or a situation, the opposite of feeling powerless.)
|
capable (Able to do things successfully, instead of being unable to act.)
Colocații
feel powerless
|powerless to stop
|powerless against
|utterly powerless
|completely powerless
|leave someone powerless
Teme
emotions
|society
|daily life
|relationships
|core_vocabulary
Exemple
- She felt completely powerless as she watched the company collapse around her.
- Citizens often feel powerless to change national politics.
- I was powerless to help him when the floodwaters rose so quickly.
- As children, they were powerless against the decisions made by the adults.
- The small village seemed powerless in the face of the growing wildfire.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- I felt powerless to help my friend.
- Many people feel powerless when they lose their job.
- The teacher was not powerless; she decided to change the rules.
- He stood there, powerless, while the car drove away.
- The workers felt powerless against the big company.
adjective
B2
state
2
without electrical or mechanical power
Not getting or making power, so a machine or system cannot work.
Tipar de utilizare:
[machine] is powerless without [power source]
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners may overuse this sense for people, saying things like "I am powerless because my energy is low" when they mean they are tired. For people, the more common meaning is about control over a situation, not about electrical power.
Sinonime
inoperative (Technical; stresses that something is not working or functioning.)
|
dead (Informal; often used about electronics that have no power or no battery charge.)
Antonime
powered (Actively supplied with power and able to operate.)
|
running (Informal; stresses that the machine is on and working.)
Colocații
powerless engine
|powerless device
|powerless machine
|powerless motor
Teme
technology
|science
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Exemple
- With the generators offline, the entire plant was powerless.
- After the battery failed, the drone was powerless in the air and began to fall.
- The elevator remained powerless for hours during the blackout.
- Once the fuel line was cut, the engine was completely powerless.
- The storm left traffic lights powerless throughout the city.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- The phone is powerless because the battery is empty.
- During the storm, our house was powerless for two hours.
- The machine was powerless without electricity.
- After the cable broke, the motor was powerless.
- The city was powerless after the main power line failed.
Gramatică
Forma de dicționar
powerless
IPA
GB/pˈaʊɚləs/
US/pˈaʊɚləs/
Silabe și accent
power - less (2 silabe)
Stress on 1st syllable (power)
Forme ale cuvântului
Adjective
- Base: powerless
Familie de cuvinte
Related words
Advanced or less common
overpower
verb
disempower
verb
Expresii
feel powerless
1/fˈil pˈaʊɚləs/
fixed phrase
experience having no control
To have the feeling that you cannot change or control a situation.
Exemple
- Many parents feel powerless when their teenagers stop talking to them.
- He felt powerless as he watched the news about the war.
leave someone powerless
1/lˈiv sˈʌmwˌʌn pˈaʊɚləs/
fixed phrase
cause someone to lose power
To make someone unable to act or control a situation.
Exemple
- The new law left local councils powerless to stop the development.
- The sudden illness left him powerless in bed for weeks.
powerless against
1/pˈaʊɚləs əɡˈɛnst/
fixed phrase
unable to resist or fight
Not able to defend yourself from something or fight it successfully.
Exemple
- Small businesses often feel powerless against large international companies.
- The villagers were powerless against the rising floodwaters.
powerless in the face of
1/pˈaʊɚləs ˈɪn ðə fˈeɪs əv/
fixed phrase
unable to act when confronted
Not able to act or change anything when something difficult or strong is in front of you.
Exemple
- They felt powerless in the face of such extreme poverty.
- The government seemed powerless in the face of growing public anger.
powerless to stop
1/pˈaʊɚləs tə stˈɑp/
fixed phrase
unable to prevent something
Not able to prevent something from happening.
Exemple
- We were powerless to stop the company from closing our local office.
- The doctors were powerless to stop the disease from spreading.
render someone powerless
1/ɹˈɛndɚ sˈʌmwˌʌn pˈaʊɚləs/
fixed phrase
formal
formally make someone without power
To make someone have no power or control at all.
Exemple
- The court ruling rendered the committee powerless.
- The injury rendered him powerless to continue the match.
utterly powerless
1/ˈʌtɚli pˈaʊɚləs/
fixed phrase
completely without power
Totally without power or control.
Exemple
- In that moment, I felt utterly powerless.
- The community was utterly powerless to influence the decision.