CRIPPLING Synonyms: 208 Similar and Opposite Words

crippling 1 of 2

noun

Definition of crippling next

as in harm

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crippling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of cripple

as in incapacitating

to cause severe or permanent injury to the car crash may have crippled two people for life

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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as in paralyzing

to render powerless, ineffective, or unable to move a wave of strikes crippled that nation's steel industry

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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

Noun

The 12-day barrage came on the back of a series of setbacks for Iran’s leaders, including the crippling of its regional allies Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. —

Brian Bennett, Time, 28 Feb. 2026

Verb

But, in a separate incident reported by Reuters, it was revealed that Musk did cut service in eastern Ukraine around the same time, crippling a planned Ukrainian counteroffensive in Kherson. —

Ben Tarnoff, Big Think, 23 Apr. 2026 Eden outlined how, by crippling universities over charges of antisemitism, McMahon could also achieve larger goals. —

Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026 Confidence in Israel’s ability to seriously damage Iran’s nuclear program has slipped from 62% to 48%; expectations of crippling its ballistic missile arsenal have dropped from 73% to 57%. —

Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 5 Apr. 2026 All three largely believe the war caused the high gas and grocery prices that are crippling the nation’s economy. —

Terry Collins, USA Today, 28 Mar. 2026 This creates permanent skin damage around the well, fundamentally destroying its natural permeability and crippling its long-term productivity. —

Siddharth Misra, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2026 Answers varied in emphasizing the elimination of Iran’s nuclear capabilities, crippling its ability to project force, or toppling the regime altogether. —

Nik Popli, Time, 26 Mar. 2026 So, in June last year, the president seized the moment by crippling Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities. —

Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 5 Mar. 2026 So if half that tariff money goes away, that will mean a larger, but not crippling federal deficit. —

Nina Totenberg, NPR, 21 Feb. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for crippling

Noun

For a child facing daily harm, even a short delay can feel like an eternity.

— James R Mason, Hartford Courant, 12 May 2026
Several go-to cleaning tools and shortcuts — steam mops on the wrong floors, pressure washers used too aggressively, magic erasers on finished surfaces, harsh deck cleaners and neglected HVAC filters — can quietly do more harm than good.

— Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 12 May 2026