paralytic

1 of 2

adjective

par·​a·​lyt·​ic ˌper-ə-ˈli-tik 

ˌpa-rə-

1

: affected with, characterized by, or causing paralysis

2

: of, relating to, or resembling paralysis

paralytically

ˌper-ə-ˈli-ti-k(ə-)lē 

ˌpa-rə-

adverb

paralytic

2 of 2

noun

: one affected with paralysis

Synonyms

Adjective

• paralyzed

Examples of paralytic in a Sentence

Adjective

a group of paralytic drunks

at first, he would not accept that he was now paralytic and needed help

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

In this horror/thriller, a woman alone in the forests of Big Sur must escape a serial killer with just 20 minutes left before her body completely shuts down due to a paralytic drug. —Lisa Respers France, CNN, 25 Oct. 2024

Popular on Variety In conversations Variety had with multiple top sales agencies, a common silver lining emerged: in-house production is down across the board at the legacy studios and streamers, mostly thanks to the paralytic effect of the 2023 actor-and-writer strikes. —Matt Donnelly, Variety, 7 Sep. 2024

Noun

Like normal Botox, baby Botox involves injections of a muscle paralytic. —Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 25 Sep. 2024

Injecting your face with a muscle paralytic three times a year from your early 20s (or even late teens) onward seems like an enormous undertaking, financially and otherwise. —Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 25 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English paralytyk, from Anglo-French paralitik, from Latin paralyticus, from Greek paralytikos, from paralyein

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

paralytic

1 of 2 adjective

par·​a·​lyt·​ic ˌpar-ə-ˈlit-ik 

1

: affected with, marked by, or causing paralysis

2

: of, relating to, or resembling paralysis

paralytic

2 of 2 noun

: one affected with paralysis

Medical Definition

paralytic

1 of 2 adjective

par·​a·​lyt·​ic ˌpar-ə-ˈlit-ik 

1

: affected with or characterized by paralysis

2

: of, relating to, causing, or resembling paralysis

paralytic

2 of 2 noun

: one affected with paralysis