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

That 1952 outbreak killed some 3,000 people and left more than 20,000 paralyzed. —Tom Bartlett, The Atlantic, 28 Jan. 2026

Christopher died from cardiac arrest resulting from sepsis at the age of 52 in 2004, nine years after suffering a horseback riding accident and becoming paralyzed from the neck down. —Erin Clack, PEOPLE, 27 Jan. 2026

Climatologists and economists think the winter storm that’s paralyzed life east of the Mississippi could be the country’s first billion-dollar weather disaster of 2026. —Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 27 Jan. 2026

Goetz saw two female passengers on the ground, paralyzed and cowering in fear. —Literary Hub, 21 Jan. 2026

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