incapacitated

adjective

in·​ca·​pac·​i·​tat·​ed ˌin-kə-ˈpa-sə-ˌtā-təd 

: 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

Some Native Americans, caregivers for an incapacitated person, and people regularly attending drug or alcohol treatment programs may also qualify for exemptions, along with other specific cases noted in the guidance. —Aliss Higham, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025

For instance, an estranged child may have more legal authority over an incapacitated parent than their long-term but unmarried partner. —Kahli Zietlow, The Conversation, 18 Nov. 2025

The sheriff's office says investigators now believe Clark likely had some sort of medical emergency near his home that either incapacitated or killed him. —Cecilio Padilla, CBS News, 17 Nov. 2025

This means astronauts will have to diagnose, treat, and manage crises without ground support, even if a crew member becomes incapacitated. —Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1769, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for incapacitated

• ameliorated
• decontaminated
• deoxygenated
• deteriorated
• differentiated
• disarticulated
• excommunicated
• individuated
• misappropriated
• monounsaturated
• multinucleated
• nonaffiliated