Helplessness

/ˈhɛlpləsnəs/ noun

Helplessness is the feeling that you cannot do anything to change a situation or protect yourself or others. It often comes when problems seem too big or out of your control.

Formed from the adjective “helpless” plus the noun-forming suffix “-ness.” “Help” comes from Old English “helpan,” meaning to aid or assist, and “-less” means “without.” So the word literally means “the state of being without help.”

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