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

After colliding with a car that ended up in her racing path on Sunday, she's been left paralyzed from the neck down. —Conor Wight, CBS News, 16 Apr. 2026

Adriana Maria, 16, was competing in a wrestling match at Matawan’s Old Bridge High School in January when a move left her paralyzed. —Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 11 Apr. 2026

Instead of killing him, the musket ball to the back paralyzed Captain Cunningham from the waist down. —Lincee Ray, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Apr. 2026

Every 90 minutes, our bodies go paralyzed while our brains become more active than during waking life. —Big Think, 9 Apr. 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