1
as in disabled
affected with paralysis
special ramps for paralyzed people in wheelchairs
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in helpless
unable to act or achieve one's purpose
a seemingly paralyzed mayor sat by as the city's crime rate soared
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in crippled
to render powerless, ineffective, or unable to move
a blizzard paralyzed the city for two days
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in frightened
to deprive of courage or confidence
the school board is paralyzed by the threat of lawsuits for just about everything
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of paralyzed
Mark Travers, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025
She was shot in the back and chest, leaving her paralyzed from the waist down.
—Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 18 Feb. 2025
Jake Offenhartz and Jennifer Peltz, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Dec. 2024
What's New A case of mistaken identity during a home invasion in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, has left a 25-year-old man dead and his 61-year-old mother paralyzed.
—Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 18 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for paralyzed
Adjective
This refers to feeling emotionally stuck or paralyzed, unable to respond constructively.
—Mark Travers, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025
She was shot in the back and chest, leaving her paralyzed from the waist down.
—Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 18 Feb. 2025
Verb
Some related to international extremism, but the law was first used against a Bronx gang member after a hail of gunfire killed a 10-year-old girl and paralyzed a man outside a christening party in 2002.
—Jake Offenhartz and Jennifer Peltz, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Dec. 2024
What's New A case of mistaken identity during a home invasion in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, has left a 25-year-old man dead and his 61-year-old mother paralyzed.
—Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 18 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for paralyzed
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paralyzed
Adjective
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Some experts said that could alienate older generations who aren’t as tech savvy, disabled Americans who may also rely on disability payments or people from rural communities.—
Medora Lee,
USA Today,
27 Mar. 2025
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Arnold is also a co-director of the UK’s Deaf & Disabled People in TV, a group seeking to improve conditions and representation for deaf and disabled people in the industry.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
26 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Bailey's predicament isn't the first time a dog has found itself in an amusingly helpless situation.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
19 Mar. 2025
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The Flames’ penalty kill was the NHL’s best in March before Monday (95.5 percent), but the Maple Leafs made the group look helpless with one goal from William Nylander and two by Matthews.—
Nick Ashbourne,
The Athletic,
18 Mar. 2025
Verb
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His vengeance included turning Michigan State in for NCAA violations, leading to probation that crippled the program until the late 1970s.—
Joe Rexrode,
The Athletic,
31 Dec. 2024
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As the city litigated and revised the environmental impact report, two devastating storms in December 2023 and February 2024 — the same series that crippled San Diego’s Ocean Beach Pier — substantially damaged the wharf.—
Noah Haggerty,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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An additional 200,000 paralytic polio cases per year if programs are permanently ceased.—
Avery Lotz,
Axios,
3 Mar. 2025
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In addition to performance anxiety, my rigid musical education had left me with an almost paralytic inability to improvise or play by ear.—
Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim,
New York Times,
11 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Murena Pixel Tablet And Third-Party Apps The ecosystem for Android tablets is weaker than that of Android smartphones.—
Ewan Spence,
Forbes,
23 Mar. 2025
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Cleanup crews noted the tree’s root system was very weak.—
Muri Assunção,
New York Daily News,
21 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Workers incapacitated by pregnancy could get an additional two weeks.—
Mark Pazniokas,
Hartford Courant,
20 Dec. 2024
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In 2010, a UPS cargo flight was involved in a fatal accident when a cargo pallet containing tens of thousands of lithium batteries caused a fire in the hold, which eventually incapacitated the pilots and damaged the flight controls, causing the aircraft to crash in Dubai.—
Barry Collins,
Forbes,
20 Dec. 2024
Verb
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The movie sees the revival of arch-villain Feathers McGraw, who terrified kids in 1993’s The Wrong Trousers.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
23 Dec. 2024
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My Hugo would chase it and bark at it, or he'd be terrified.—
Benedict Cosgrove,
Newsweek,
20 Dec. 2024
Verb
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But the militants, while greatly weakened, have repeatedly regrouped, often after Israeli forces withdraw from areas.—
Wafaa Shurafa,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Jan. 2025
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Those at high-risk for listeria infection are newborns, those who are pregnant, have weakened immune systems, and those aged 65 or older.—
Mike Snider,
USA TODAY,
3 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Paralyzed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paralyzed. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.
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