as in disability
complete or partial loss of physical function (as motion or sensation) in a part of the body
the car accident left one athlete with paralysis from the waist down
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of paralysis
It is often diagnosed by a rash around the tick bite and can later lead to symptoms such as facial paralysis, brain fog, numbness, swollen joints or nerve damage.
—
Brenton Blanchet, People.com, 3 Aug. 2025
Symptoms of the more serious illness include high fever, headache, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness and paralysis, according to the CDC.
—Madeline Heim, jsonline.com, 28 July 2025
Dogs usually start with a stiff-legged gait which rapidly progresses into paralysis in all four legs, according to VCA Animal Hospitals.
—Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 July 2025
When gone untreated, Lyme disease can produce a wide range of symptoms depending on the stage of infection, including fever, rash, facial paralysis, irregular heartbeat and arthritis.
—Rebecca Morin, USA Today, 1 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for paralysis
Brenton Blanchet, People.com, 3 Aug. 2025
Symptoms of the more serious illness include high fever, headache, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness and paralysis, according to the CDC.
—Madeline Heim, jsonline.com, 28 July 2025
Dogs usually start with a stiff-legged gait which rapidly progresses into paralysis in all four legs, according to VCA Animal Hospitals.
—Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 July 2025
When gone untreated, Lyme disease can produce a wide range of symptoms depending on the stage of infection, including fever, rash, facial paralysis, irregular heartbeat and arthritis.
—Rebecca Morin, USA Today, 1 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for paralysis
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paralysis
Noun
-
Westman had decorated the assault rifle and shotgun with hate speech in ways that aligned with the dark underbelly of alt-right meme culture that regularly disparages people of color, Jewish people, the LGBTQ+, and people with disabilities.—
Natalie Eilbert,
jsonline.com,
29 Aug. 2025
-
Sixty-six-year-old Bronx mental health patient Deborah Danner hoped her disability would not bring her into contact with the NYPD.—
LaShawn Harris
August 27,
Literary Hub,
27 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Patients who received 12 or more prescriptions had a 40% higher risk of dementia and a 65% higher risk of cognitive impairment than those with only 3–11 prescriptions.—
Thomas Westerholm,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Aug. 2025
-
In March 2024, Walgreens disclosed an impairment charge of $5.8 billion related to VillageMD, and began backing away from its VillageMD plans.—
Lisa Schencker,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Symptoms can include a rash and flu-like symptoms, with some people going on to experience arthritis, facial palsy, pain, irregular heartbeats and other worsening symptoms.—
Grace Gavilanes,
People.com,
31 July 2025
-
The Emmy-winning composer died Thursday at his home in Los Angeles following an eight-year battle with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), Clausen’s daughter told the Hollywood Reporter.—
Daniel Kreps,
Rolling Stone,
31 May 2025
Noun
-
At the same time, the labor market has shown growing signs of weakness.—
Bryan Mena,
CNN Money,
21 Aug. 2025
-
Until recently, in fact, many people considered empathy in a leader to be a weakness rather than a strength.—
Toby Lester,
Harvard Business Review,
20 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Paralysis.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paralysis. Accessed 3 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share