Without access to clean water, residents of the drought-stricken region felt powerless to prevent the spread of disease.
由于无法获得清洁的水，干旱地区的居民感到无力阻止疾病的传播。
Which choice best defines “powerless”?
A — Without ability, influence, or power. “powerless” means without ability, influence, or power.
Which word means “without ability, influence, or power”?
A — powerless. “powerless” means without ability, influence, or power.
powerless — without ability, influence, or power. In Chinese: 无力的，无能为力的.
powerless is pronounced /ˈpaʊərləs/.
Without access to clean water, residents of the drought-stricken region felt powerless to prevent the spread of disease. (由于无法获得清洁的水，干旱地区的居民感到无力阻止疾病的传播。)
helpless, impotent, ineffective — all close in meaning to powerless (without ability, influence, or power).
powerful, influential — each the opposite of powerless (without ability, influence, or power).
Yes. powerless is on the SAT Prep Basic list — the everyday academic words the SAT assumes you already have. The Digital SAT does not test vocabulary in isolation; words like this one are tested through Words in Context questions, where you choose the word that completes a passage most logically and precisely.