Word · Frequency #15931
defenseless
无依无靠的；无保护的
lacking protection or support
- 1.
Lacking any form of defense; vulnerable; open to attack.
缺乏任何防御；脆弱；易受攻击
手无寸铁的；无自卫能力的；缺乏任何防御；脆弱；易受攻击；无防备的
In use
The lost kitten looked so defenseless in the rain.
The broken fence left the garden defenseless against stray animals.
A defenseless child trusts adults completely.
be defenseless against sth
The small town was defenseless against the hurricane.
这座小镇在飓风面前毫无防御能力。
leave sb/sth defenseless
leave + 宾语 + defenseless 表示“使……处于无防备状态”。
The sudden loss of power left the base defenseless.
突然断电使基地失去了防御能力。
defenseless + noun
defenseless 作定语时直接放在名词前；英国英语常拼作 defenceless。
The army attacked defenseless civilians.
军队袭击了手无寸铁的平民。
Common mistakes
The soldiers were sent to provide defenseless for the village.The soldiers were sent to provide defense for the village.
defenseless 是形容词，意为“无防备的”，不能在 provide 后作宾语；provide 后应接名词 defense（防卫、保护）。
The city was defenseless to the enemy's attack.The city was defenseless against the enemy's attack.
形容词 defenseless 表示“无法抵御、无防备”时，与介词 against 搭配，引出威胁或攻击的对象，不用 to。
The sudden storm left the campers defenselessly in the mountains.The sudden storm left the campers defenseless in the mountains.
leave + 宾语 + 形容词构成“使…处于某种状态”的搭配，这里需用形容词 defenseless 说明 campers 的状态；副词 defenselessly 不能作宾语补足语。
Connections
Collocations
- defenseless against
- 对…毫无防御能力；无力抵抗
- The town was defenseless against the approaching flood.这座城镇面对即将到来的洪水毫无防御能力。
- render someone defenseless
- 使某人失去防御能力；使某人束手无策
- The cyberattack rendered the company's security systems defenseless.这次网络攻击使公司的安全系统毫无防御能力。
- defenseless victim
- 无力自卫的受害者
- The charity works to protect defenseless victims of domestic violence.该慈善机构致力于保护家暴中无力自卫的受害者。
- utterly defenseless
- 毫无防备的；完全无力自卫的
- Without her bodyguard, she felt utterly defenseless.没有保镖时，她感到毫无防备。
- leave someone defenseless
- 使某人毫无防御；让某人失去保护
- The ceasefire left the refugees defenseless against the militia.
Learner notes
Memory Tip
拆成 de(无)+fense(防线)+less(无)，想象敌人来袭时没有防线、毫无防备，即‘无防备的’。
Context & Register
语域：neutral 常见场景：新闻报道、日常对话、军事或自卫场景 defenseless 是中性偏正式的说法，通常用于描述人或群体缺乏保护、支持或自卫能力，比较常见于新闻报道和社会议题讨论，也可用于日常叙述。
Pronunciation & Spelling
与 defenseless 真正押韵的是 senseless（重读元音 /ɛ/ 及后面 /nsləs/ 相同）。helpless、careless、useless 都以 -less 结尾，但重读元音不同，并不押韵；注意拼写相近的 defense /dɪˈfɛns/ 也不是 -less 结尾。
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.