Definitions

helpful

[help-fuhl] / ˈhɛlp fəl /

ADJECTIVE

beneficial, beneficent

Synonyms

STRONGEST

accessible advantageous applicable conducive constructive convenient cooperative crucial essential favorable friendly important invaluable practical productive profitable significant suitable supportive sympathetic timely useful valuable

WEAK

accommodating benevolent bettering caring considerate contributive effectual efficacious fortunate good for improving instrumental kind neighborly operative pragmatic serendipitous serviceable symbiotic usable utilitarian

Antonyms

STRONGEST

cold cool disagreeable hindering hurting inappropriate inessential injurious inopportune insignificant minor nonessential trivial unfavorable unfriendly unhelpful unimportant unsociable unsuitable useless worthless

WEAK

disadvantageous harmful hurtful unconstructive

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

These might be helpful, anodyne retail chatbots; they also might be utter menaces like Google Docs’ Gemini pop-up.

From Salon • Jun. 10, 2026

Everybody I’ve ever worked with in that capacity has been so helpful and considerate, and I think it’s just a nice resource to have.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026

To understand whether it will be truly helpful, I’ll need to try it on my own.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026

I have no experience with investing, so any advice would be helpful.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 8, 2026

The flashlight was still helpful, though, because if he stood right at the base of a street sign, the beam reached just far enough for him to read the name.

From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville

Vocabulary lists containing helpful

Beowulf vocabulary

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Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 3

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Words to Describe a Teacher

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