Word.ws English Dictionary

How to use defenseless in a sentence

10 example sentences · adjective

Defenseless means lacking any form of defense; vulnerable; open to attack. Example: “Her look, her attitude, her words were eloquent of the age-old appeal of defenseless woman to her natural protector—man.”

Examples of defenseless by meaning

adjectiveLacking any form of defense; vulnerable; open to attack.

  • Her look, her attitude, her words were eloquent of the age-old appeal of defenseless woman to her natural protector—man.1913, Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Return of Tarzan, New York: Ballantine Books, published 1963, page 44

More sentences with defenseless

  • I'm not exactly defenseless myself." From my paddy-paw a talon popped, curved like a sickle moon.2006, Jonathan Stroud, Ptolemy's Gate. From the entry paddy paw
  • I have been very conscious of the fact that by declawing her, I rendered her defenseless.1998 September 29, Blake, “Re: declawing”, in alt.cats (Usenet). From the entry catbutt
  • The Soviet Union and its allies have invaded a defenseless country to stamp out a resurgence of ordinary human freedom.1968, President Lyndon Johnson, 18:22 from the start, in The President: August 1968. MP899 (1280x720), via Lyndon Baines Johnson Library…. From the entry Czechoslovakia
  • Those little cherogrils, or chief-rabbits; tiny, timid, defenseless.1947, Day, Richard Ellsworth, The Borrowed Glow, Philadelphia: Judson Press, page 226. From the entry cherogril
  • Wedgie the small defenseless Jewish child to the degree that their underpant leg holes are exposed ABOVE the waistband of their Umbro shorts.2021, Seth Rogen, Yearbook, Crown, →ISBN. From the entry underpant
  • The past is obdurate for the same reason a turtle's shell is obdurate: because the living flesh inside is tender and defenseless.2011, Stephen King, 11/22/63, New York: Scribner, →ISBN, page 827. From the entry obdurate
  • Publishers, he has been told, are literary brigands, lying in wait for talented but defenseless authors, ready to rob them of their ideas.1961, “Thomas R. Coward”, in Gerald Gross, editor, Publishers on Publishing, London: Secker & Warburg, published 1962, page 148. From the entry doddard
  • The ruthless and indiscriminate bombings of the defenseless cities in southwest Hupeh has called for extra efforts in the way of extending relief.1942, “REV. HERBERT MEYER, CHINESE MISSIONARY, ASSUMES DUTIES OF PASTOR OF LUTHERAN CHURCH”, in Petaluma Argus-Courier, Petaluma…. From the entry Laifeng
  • Like lightning Numa turned upon this new enemy, and, defenseless as he was, Tarzan of the Apes was nearer to death that instant than he ever before had been.1913, Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Return of Tarzan, New York: Ballantine Books, published 1963, page 123. From the entry preserver

Meaning of defenseless

  1. adjective Lacking any form of defense; vulnerable; open to attack.

Full definition of defenseless

Questions about defenseless in a sentence

How do you use defenseless in a sentence?
Defenseless is used as an adjective. For example: “Her look, her attitude, her words were eloquent of the age-old appeal of defenseless woman to her natural protector—man.”
What is a short sentence with defenseless?
“Those little cherogrils, or chief-rabbits; tiny, timid, defenseless.”
What does defenseless mean?
Defenseless means lacking any form of defense; vulnerable; open to attack.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: defenseless (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “How to use defenseless in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/defenseless. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.