as in helpless
unable to act or achieve one's purpose
handcuffed by a dearth of funding, the preservation society can do little but stand by as these historic structures deteriorate
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in bound
to confine or restrain with or as if with chains
wanted to take the trip, but was handcuffed by her responsibility to watch her ailing father
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hampered
to create difficulty for the work or activity of
the fear that the new mandatory, standardized tests will handcuff the state's teachers, who will have to specifically tailor their lesson plans for the test
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for handcuffed
Adjective
-
More generally, some people are concerned that becoming too reliant on AI for menial and routine tasks could lead to us becoming over-reliant and helpless, perhaps even to the detriment of human problem-solving or decision-making ability.—
Bernard Marr,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025 -
Asking for help isn’t the same as being helpless, Pryor noted.—
Megan Sauer,
CNBC,
11 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
The area is bounded by Interstate 30 to the north, Cherry Lane to the west, Camp Bowie West Boulevard to the south, and West Loop 820 to the west.—
Harrison Mantas,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
17 Apr. 2025
-
Musk bounded down the steps of Air Force One behind Trump in Miami, carrying his 4-year-old son, X Æ A-Xii, on his shoulders.—
Brett Samuels,
The Hill,
16 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Before the polio vaccine was introduced in 1955, tens of thousands of children were catching the disease every year; thousands of them died, and more were left paralyzed.—
Bruce Handy,
The Atlantic,
16 Apr. 2025
-
Because tariffs are a type of taxation, Mr. Trump’s plan is among the largest tax increases in decades, analysts say, a policy change that sent the stock market reeling, paralyzed corporate investment and shoved the economy closer to a recession.—
Andrew Duehren,
New York Times,
5 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Among the key discussion points will be the continuance of the fiscal guardrails, enacted as part of the historic, bipartisan budget of 2017 that was crafted when the state Senate was tied at 18-18 and Republicans had more power to influence legislation.—
Christopher Keating,
Hartford Courant,
5 Jan. 2025
-
Williams tied a career high with four made 3-pointers, and Keon Johnson tied a career high with eight assists.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
5 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The provision was ratified in the late nineteen-eighties, but conservatives allied with the country’s agricultural lobby have long impeded its enforcement.—
Julian Lucas,
The New Yorker,
24 Feb. 2025
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Poor governance and economic stewardship have impeded the region’s development and generated the grievances behind the Arab Spring.—
Marwan Muasher,
Foreign Affairs,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Meta Chief Legal Officer Jennifer Newstead called the case weak and a deterrent to tech investment in a blog post on Sunday.—
Jody Godoy,
USA Today,
14 Apr. 2025
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Then, McIlroy hit a weak drive to the right and was blocked by pines.—
Time,
Time,
14 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
The status of the third remained unknown, but snow obstructed a full view of the nest.—
Amanda Kooser,
Forbes,
14 Mar. 2025
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Yoon apologized for his brief martial law decree, but later doubled down and defended the move, arguing the liberal party obstructed his political agenda.—
Sophia Vento,
The Hill,
8 Mar. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Handcuffed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/handcuffed. Accessed 26 Apr. 2025.
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