helplessly B1 Topic:Describing Qualities US /ˈhɛlpləsli/ See IPA manual Freq #32416 Meanings 1 adv without being able to protect yourself or change what is happening The crowd watched helplessly as the boat drifted away. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adv · without being able to... powerlesslyimpotently ↔ Opposites capablyeffectively Word family Related forms helplesshelplessness Etymology From helpless + -ly. Topics Describing Qualities External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # helplessly **Type:** Word **Level:** B1 **Part of speech:** adv **IPA (US):** /ˈhɛlpləsli/ **Frequency rank:** 32416 ## Meanings 1. without being able to protect yourself or change what is happening ## Examples - The crowd watched helplessly as the boat drifted away. ## Synonyms - powerlessly - impotently ## Antonyms - capably - effectively ## Related Forms - helpless - helplessness ## Etymology From helpless + -ly. ## Topics - Describing Qualities markdown