paralyzed

1 of 2

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

paralyzed

2 of 2

past tense and past participle of paralyze

Synonyms of paralyzed

Adjective

• disabled
• paralytic

Examples of paralyzed in a Sentence

Adjective

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

Adjective

However, as technology continues to improve, the team hopes to minimize errors and facilitate real-time communication between paralyzed patients and the people around them. — Literary Hub, 6 Nov. 2026

She has been held in Tewksbury Hospital since shortly after the killings and remains partially paralyzed due to her suicide attempt. — Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 2 Nov. 2026

Bangladesh’s government formed a new wage board on Sunday to review garment workers’ pay amid intensifying protests over low wages that have shuttered hundreds of factories and paralyzed transport across major industrial areas. — Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 2 Nov. 2026

Colombo was shot a year later at Columbus Circle, leaving him paralyzed. — Richard Johnson, New York Daily News, 1 Nov. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1763, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for paralyzed

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