helplessness
Loading your saved state.
helplessness
The state or feeling of being powerless in a difficult situation and unable to help yourself or others.
Angesichts der Naturkatastrophe überkam die Menschen ein Gefühl der totalen Hilflosigkeit.
In the face of the natural disaster, people were overcome by a feeling of total helplessness.
The word can be broken down easily: it begins with 'Hilfe' (help). The ending '-los' means 'without', so 'hilflos' (helpless) is someone without help. The ending '-igkeit' turns it into a noun that describes the state: the state of being without help.
Seine Hilflosigkeit in dieser Situation war für alle spürbar.
His helplessness in this situation was noticeable to everyone.
'Hilflosigkeit' (helplessness) is often combined with verbs of feeling. The phrases 'Hilflosigkeit spüren/fühlen' (to sense/feel helplessness) or 'ein Gefühl der Hilflosigkeit' (a feeling of helplessness) are very common.
Als er seinen Job verlor, spürte er eine große Hilflosigkeit.
When he lost his job, he felt great helplessness.
'Hilflosigkeit' (helplessness) is often used with prepositions that describe a reason or state. 'Aus Hilflosigkeit' (out of helplessness) expresses a motivation, while 'in seiner/ihrer Hilflosigkeit' (in his/her helplessness) describes a state.
Aus reiner Hilflosigkeit fing das Kind an zu weinen.
Out of pure helplessness, the child began to cry.
despair
'die Verzweiflung' and 'die Hilflosigkeit' both describe a very stressful feeling in a difficult situation. 'Hilflosigkeit' emphasizes that you cannot do anything or do not know how to help. 'Verzweiflung' is stronger and means that you have almost no hope left. The words can be confused because helplessness often leads to despair. If the main point is a lack of options, 'Hilflosigkeit' fits. If the feeling of hopelessness is central, 'Verzweiflung' is a better fit.
Am Telefon hörte man seine Hilflosigkeit, weil der Computer wieder nicht funktionierte.
You could hear his helplessness on the phone because the computer was not working again.
Als der Brief mit der Absage kam, spürte Maria große Verzweiflung.
When the rejection letter arrived, Maria felt great despair.