1
as in incapacitating
to cause severe or permanent injury to
the car crash may have crippled two people for life
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in damaging
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of
the collision so severely crippled the ship that it had to be towed into port
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in paralyzing
to render powerless, ineffective, or unable to move
a wave of strikes crippled that nation's steel industry
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in harm
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of crippling
Gene Maddaus, Variety, 22 Sep. 2025
While many may worry that lending financial support to their children may be crippling them or enabling them, nearly 77% of the parents surveyed do so with some kind of stipulation or contingency.
—Essence, 19 Sep. 2025
Deadly floods in Asia have devastated crops, crippling already fragile food production.
—Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Thomas’ absence has been crippling for the Giants in recent years.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 19 Aug. 2025
More importantly, if just one lock were disabled or destroyed, the passage from east to west would be essentially inoperable, crippling the United States and its military defenses.
—Shoshi Parks, Popular Science, 14 Aug. 2025
The accumulation of beta amyloid soaks up more and more lithium, further crippling the brain’s ability to clear it away.
—Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2025
Noun
Related Stories Pogachefsky is now suing 42West and his former employees, accusing them of crippling his company and scuttling his talks to sell the firm.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 22 Sep. 2025
While many may worry that lending financial support to their children may be crippling them or enabling them, nearly 77% of the parents surveyed do so with some kind of stipulation or contingency.
—Essence, 19 Sep. 2025
Deadly floods in Asia have devastated crops, crippling already fragile food production.
—Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Thomas’ absence has been crippling for the Giants in recent years.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 19 Aug. 2025
More importantly, if just one lock were disabled or destroyed, the passage from east to west would be essentially inoperable, crippling the United States and its military defenses.
—Shoshi Parks, Popular Science, 14 Aug. 2025
The accumulation of beta amyloid soaks up more and more lithium, further crippling the brain’s ability to clear it away.
—Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crippling
Verb
-
While the name suggests something far more trivial, significant damage to the ligaments of the metatarsophalangeal joint can be incapacitating.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
To write one’s way out of the incapacitating dependence of daughterhood into autonomy means shedding the unquestioning fidelity of a child.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Lifting them out of the ground requires some gentleness to avoid damaging them.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Always dilute apple cider vinegar with water and drink through a straw to avoid damaging tooth enamel and irritating the esophagus.—
Maggie O'Neill,
Verywell Health,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The pressure Alex, who is endowed by Martin with endearing softness and paralyzing self-doubt, feels to be a brave cop, a strong father, and the righteous hero of this story can’t be separated from his experience as a trans man still honing his relationship to masculinity.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
25 Sep. 2025
-
By contrast, maybe such language engenders a sense of defeatism, a belief in the inevitability of collapse which is collectively paralyzing.—
Ed Simon
September 24,
Literary Hub,
24 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Originally, Ascher and Fraker were each charged with one count of failure to act to prevent bodily harm to a child, a felony that could have resulted in as much as six-year prison sentences.—
Jim Riccioli,
jsonline.com,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Many people can gamble or play games of chance without harm.—
Helena Wegner,
Sacbee.com,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The crew then fired three rounds into the starboard engine, disabling the boat about four miles southwest of Point Loma.—
Teri Figueroa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Since alopecia is a socially disabling condition, being naturally bald in public can feel like a radical statement.—
Essence,
Essence,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
An optional front rack on both models adds instant utility without marring the retro-fantastic looks.—
William Roberson,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
-
Boston comes in with three straight losses marring otherwise agreeable vibes.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
And, frankly, James Comey is one of the main culprits in undermining the public's trust in agencies like the FBI.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Sep. 2025
-
Negotiations serve not only to address collective goods but also increasingly to secure geopolitical advantage, often undermining cooperative outcomes.—
Morgan Chalfant,
semafor.com,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The alleged crimes include torture and mutilation, and Heuermann allegedly took notes on the crimes, the targets and measures to avoid detection.—
Michael Ruiz , Jennifer Johnson,
FOXNews.com,
6 Sep. 2025
-
But then, in April, Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a memo that said the Justice Department would investigate doctors who provide transition care to minors under existing laws, including laws against genital mutilation.—
Jo Yurcaba,
NBC news,
24 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Crippling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crippling. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share