n. The state or character of being powerless; absence or lack of power.
The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
n. The state or character of being powerless; absence or lack of power.
WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
n. the quality of lacking strength or power; being weak and feeble
Word Usage
"And so when the Obama Administration decides it can do no better than stand by, ring its hands and express "disappointment" at the resumption of settlement expansion, its powerlessness is taken for granted, as if it were a simple fact of nature."