as in harm
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1
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
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
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3
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
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Recent Examples of crippling
Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 7 Jan. 2026
None of that was fearful because fear of the unknown, like fear of, showing up in a situation and not knowing what's gonna happen is like, that's a thing that's like crippling to adults and definitely crippling to teenagers.
—Outside Online, 31 Dec. 2025
Operating in packs, Germany’s submarines successfully sank countless Allied merchant vessels, nearly crippling the supply chains that sustained the United Kingdom.
—Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
The administration is threatening to seize more tankers going forward, potentially further crippling the Venezuelan economy.
—Jordan Blum, Fortune, 14 Dec. 2025
Since then, they've been forced to work remotely — at a time when the government was doling out return-to-office mandates — preventing access to labs and crippling the center's mission of embedding NASA climate scientists within international academia.
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 31 Oct. 2025
On December 7, 1941, 353 Japanese aircraft attacked Pearl Harbor, killing 2,403 Americans and crippling much of the Pacific Fleet.
—Big Think, 20 Oct. 2025
Perreira agrees that the financial imbalance in the game is crippling West Indies.
—Paul Newman, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
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
Verb
Both have endured crippling US sanctions that have precipitated economic collapses.
—Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 7 Jan. 2026
None of that was fearful because fear of the unknown, like fear of, showing up in a situation and not knowing what's gonna happen is like, that's a thing that's like crippling to adults and definitely crippling to teenagers.
—Outside Online, 31 Dec. 2025
Operating in packs, Germany’s submarines successfully sank countless Allied merchant vessels, nearly crippling the supply chains that sustained the United Kingdom.
—Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
The administration is threatening to seize more tankers going forward, potentially further crippling the Venezuelan economy.
—Jordan Blum, Fortune, 14 Dec. 2025
Since then, they've been forced to work remotely — at a time when the government was doling out return-to-office mandates — preventing access to labs and crippling the center's mission of embedding NASA climate scientists within international academia.
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 31 Oct. 2025
On December 7, 1941, 353 Japanese aircraft attacked Pearl Harbor, killing 2,403 Americans and crippling much of the Pacific Fleet.
—Big Think, 20 Oct. 2025
Perreira agrees that the financial imbalance in the game is crippling West Indies.
—Paul Newman, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crippling
Noun
-
This appears as an attempt to kill or to cause bodily harm to the agent ---- an act of domestic terrorism.—
Bill Hutchinson,
ABC News,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Robbery – The taking of anything of value from the control, custody or care of another person by force or threat of force and/or by putting the victim in fear of immediate harm.—
Baltimore Sun staff,
Baltimore Sun,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The only way to repair the rift and deal with the incapacitating grief is through art.—
James Shapiro,
The Atlantic,
1 Dec. 2025
-
He is accused of slipping incapacitating drugs into victims’ food or drinks before assaulting them between 2021 and 2024.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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One person was taken into custody after a fire ripped through a synagogue in Mississippi, heavily damaging the historic house of worship in what authorities say was an act of arson.—
Charlotte Kramon,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Jan. 2026
-
Freezing foods quickly helps preserve texture by preventing large ice crystals from damaging delicate cell walls.—
Anne Wolf,
Martha Stewart,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
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At the end of his first year as CEO, a blizzard known as Winter Storm Elliott triggered an operational meltdown, stranding thousands of Southwest customers at the height of the holiday season, paralyzing the company’s point-to-point network, and plunging the company into a profit-killing crisis.—
Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson,
semafor.com,
9 Jan. 2026
-
No matter the scenario, Victor portrays PTSD as a paralyzing force with accuracy and grace—an all-too-rare combination.—
Hannah Jackson,
Vogue,
29 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Erby was also convicted of mutilation and five counts of burglary with the allegation he was armed with a deadly weapon.—
Christine Pelisek,
PEOPLE,
27 Dec. 2025
-
Among them was Miriam, who feared torture or death if she was forced to return there, and the twenty-one-year-old Togolese woman who had also fled genital mutilation.—
Sarah Stillman,
New Yorker,
24 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Prosecutors allege Paul Caneiro cut the power to his brother's home, disabling a surveillance system that hours earlier picked up Keith leaving an angry message for Paul.—
Jesse Zanger,
CBS News,
12 Jan. 2026
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The suit seeks compensation, noting that Dinkins has suffered permanent, disabling injuries that will limit his future earning capacity.—
Jim Woods,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Including playoffs, Mayfield turned the ball over more than anyone else from 2023 through 2024, marring an otherwise fantastic two seasons in Tampa Bay.—
Jacob Robinson,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
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An optional front rack on both models adds instant utility without marring the retro-fantastic looks.—
William Roberson,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Cho’s team argued in court that Yoon sought to prolong his hold on power by undermining South Korea’s constitutional system of governance.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
14 Jan. 2026
-
The complaint asserts that Minneapolis and Saint Paul have been forced to divert officers from their usual duties to respond to incidents involving federal immigration enforcement, undermining local efforts to protect the community.—
Danya Gainor,
CNN Money,
13 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Crippling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crippling. Accessed 18 Jan. 2026.
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