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desamparo

helplessness, abandonment

noun des-ahm-PAH-roh Rare

Also means

destitution

Usage Note

Desamparo derives from desamparar ('to abandon, to leave without protection') and captures both the emotional state of feeling utterly helpless and the concrete social condition of being without support or shelter. Spanish child-welfare law uses the term situación de desamparo as the formal trigger for state intervention. It is always masculine: el desamparo.

Examples

"Sentía un profundo desamparo."

Natural Translation

She felt a deep sense of helplessness.

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