incapacitated

adjective

in·​ca·​pac·​i·​tat·​ed ˌin-kə-ˈpa-sə-ˌtā-təd How to pronounce incapacitated (audio)
: deprived of capacity or natural power : made incapable of or unfit for normal functioning
… can care for cats while the owners are away or are temporarily incapacitated and unable to care for their pets.Karen Commings
… when an incapacitated patient hasn't left a living will or designated someone to make his or her medical decisions, families agree on what to do anyway in about two-thirds of the cases …Jeff Chu et al.
Eventually, he [Washington Roebling] became bedridden, in a room that overlooked the bridge under construction, with Emily effectively serving as assistant engineer and intermediary between the incapacitated chief engineer and his lieutenants on the construction site.Henry Petroski

Examples of incapacitated in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In March, 16 days after Sirica first treated the incapacitated red-tailed hawk, Paula Goldberg, former executive director of City Wildlife, opened the trunk of her Toyota SUV to reveal a small white box perforated with air holes. Bydina Fine Maron, science.org, 10 July 2024 The second was that political observers — after noting that Trump was otherwise undamaged or incapacitated — began mulling over how the incident would affect the November election. Philip Bump, Washington Post, 15 July 2024 In his incapacitated state, does Aegon know Aemond deliberately attacked and burned him? Jordan Moreau, Variety, 15 July 2024 There are provisions to remove an incapacitated nominee. W. James Antle Iii, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 2 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for incapacitated 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'incapacitated.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1769, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of incapacitated was in 1769

Dictionary Entries Near incapacitated

Cite this Entry

“Incapacitated.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incapacitated. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

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