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

Then a global pandemic paralyzed air travel for almost two years. —Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 23 Dec. 2025

Adrian Crook, a fitness influencer on YouTube, made a video about how retatrutide almost landed him in the hospital when his stomach became paralyzed. —Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 23 Dec. 2025

Robbers shot him in the back nearly two decades ago, leaving him paralyzed from the chest down. —Fred Clasen-Kelly, USA Today, 19 Dec. 2025

The strike prevented civilians from traveling and paralyzed daily activity in areas where the ELN has influence. —Rocío Muñoz-Ledo, CNN Money, 19 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1763, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for paralyzed

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