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.

"That is very challenging, but this unfamiliar data is also very helpful for the robot's growth."

From Barron's • Jun. 11, 2026

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

From Salon • Jun. 10, 2026

We don’t need the money, but additional funds are always helpful.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 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

And this is when C.C. was glad she waited and listened before she spoke because she now knew she could offer something helpful to Duane.

From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el

Vocabulary lists containing helpful

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Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 3

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