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

Lindsay was paralyzed after the violent incident and was arrested and charged with the murders shortly afterward. — Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 21 Aug. 2026

After strangling her children, Clancy jumped from a second-story window and remains paralyzed from the waist down. — Michael Casey, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026

The injury left her paralyzed from the waist down and in a wheelchair, Laposata said. — Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026

Prosecutors said Clancy planned the murders before faking a suicide attempt that left her paralyzed and in a wheelchair. — Matt Schooley, CBS News, 18 Aug. 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