paralyzed

adjective

par·​a·​lyzed ˈper-ə-ˌlīzd 

ˈpa-rə-

1

: affected with paralysis

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

• 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

An initial report of a paralyzed kitten being thrown down a staircase led police in Northern Ohio to a home where officers reported finding 13 young children living in horrific conditions. —Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025

Big corporations can become paralyzed by their own weight. —S.w. Miliano, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025

Mullins was left paralyzed and died two years later. —Austin Hornbostel, The Tennessean, 30 Aug. 2025

By 1932, Germany’s parliament remained paralyzed. —Daniel Ziblatt, Foreign Affairs, 28 Aug. 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