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indefensión

defenselessness, helplessness

noun een-deh-fehn-SYOHN Rare

Usage Note

Indefensión is used heavily in legal and psychological Spanish: in law it refers to the constitutional violation of leaving someone without means of defense in a proceeding. In psychology, indefensión aprendida is 'learned helplessness'. The adjective is indefenso, meaning defenseless.

Examples

"La víctima expresó su total indefensión."

Natural Translation

The victim expressed her total helplessness.

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