defenseless.

Without adequate means to resist attack or protect oneself.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• a defenseless civilian
• leave someone defenseless
• defenseless against attack

On the page

The broken gate left the settlement defenseless.

She felt defenseless against the rumors circulating at work.

They moved the defenseless children away from the fighting.

Usage notes

Primary category: fear. A condition rather than an emotion; fear is a likely consequence, not part of every use. British spelling defenceless. Uninflected adjective. More/most defenseless can compare degrees of vulnerability, especially figuratively; no regular -er/-est forms. Also spelled defenceless in British English.