paralyzed

adjective

par·​a·​lyzed ˈper-ə-ˌlīzd 

ˈpa-rə-

1

: affected with paralysis

… a viral infection that paralyzed half her face and impaired her balance, hearing, and eyesight …

—Golf

If the right hemisphere of the brain is badly damaged in its sensory (parietal) areas, patients may show … an unawareness that anything is the matter, even though the left side of their body is senseless or paralyzed.

—Oliver Sacks

Thousands of paralyzed people worldwide are in the socially closed-off state.

—Christen Brownlee

2

: rendered incapable of movement or action

I was not found by the teacher until what seemed to me hours later but was probably five minutes, paralyzed with fright.

—Kay Boyle

Those who uncover plagiarism become paralyzed with embarrassment, letting the culprit escape rather than confronting him.

—Walter Kendrick

Synonyms of paralyzed

• disabled
• paralytic

Examples of paralyzed in a Sentence

special ramps for paralyzed people in wheelchairs

a seemingly paralyzed mayor sat by as the city's crime rate soared

Recent Examples on the Web

Harless sustained fractures to his spine and is now paralyzed from the waist down, the outlet reported. —Gabrielle Rockson, PEOPLE, 22 May 2026

While the idea of being paralyzed can sound alarming, the underlying mechanism is actually a normal part of sleep for nearly everyone. —Daryl Austin, USA Today, 17 May 2026

Just one week after coming to the school in 2021 on a hockey recruiting visit, Thibeault suffered a spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed from the waist down. —Paul Burton, CBS News, 16 May 2026

The economy has been almost paralyzed for well over a year. —Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 14 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1763, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for paralyzed

• acclimatized
• aerosolized
• alphabetized
• aluminized
• anaesthetized
• anesthetized
• annualized
• antagonized
• apologised
• apologized
• capitalised
• capitalized