1
as in unsuccessful
not producing the desired result
several hamstrung attempts to reorganize the local parent-teacher association were made
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in paralyzed
unable to act or achieve one's purpose
hamstrung by recent congressional limitations on executive power, the president can do little in this situation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in crippled
to render powerless, ineffective, or unable to move
the downtown development committee claims that it's hamstrung by city ordinances protecting historic buildings
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of hamstrung
Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 30 Sep. 2025
Yet, despite decades of advancement in digital infrastructure, network rollouts remain hamstrung by manual processes, fragmented systems and costly delays.
—Abhishek Singh, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Republicans like Councilor Michael-Paul Hart, who sponsored the proposal to reform the General Orders Board, said the current setup gives civilians too much power and has made officers feel hamstrung by some of the orders.
—Jordan Smith, IndyStar, 28 Aug. 2025
Newcastle, like Villa, are hamstrung.
—Tim Spiers, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025
Jacob Robinson, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
Ekwonu suggested postgame that Young was hamstrung by the pockets and looks the offensive line afforded him.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 30 Sep. 2025
Even if its leaders still want to move military forces abroad, their ability to do so would be hamstrung by the paralysis of vital logistics, transportation and communications infrastructure achieved through these cyberattacks.
—Jim Richberg, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
They are hamstrung by having fewer states in their control and stricter rules that make partisan redrawing more difficult.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 24 Aug. 2025
The admission is just the latest bungle from New York’s beleaguered legal marijuana program, which has been hamstrung by legal challenges, a slow rollout and gaps in the law that allowed an illicit market to flourish.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2025
The Hill’s Jared Gans reports that Democrats are hamstrung by their own recent push to use independent redistricting commissions, taking the issue out of the hands of state lawmakers.
—Jonathan Easley, The Hill, 4 Aug. 2025
Adjective
The exact impacts are unclear, but airports, Amtrak trains and wildfire response would probably not be hamstrung, officials told Bay Area News Group on Monday.
—Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 30 Sep. 2025
Yet, despite decades of advancement in digital infrastructure, network rollouts remain hamstrung by manual processes, fragmented systems and costly delays.
—Abhishek Singh, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Republicans like Councilor Michael-Paul Hart, who sponsored the proposal to reform the General Orders Board, said the current setup gives civilians too much power and has made officers feel hamstrung by some of the orders.
—Jordan Smith, IndyStar, 28 Aug. 2025
Newcastle, like Villa, are hamstrung.
—Tim Spiers, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025
Verb
But Flacco was hamstrung by receivers who can't catch and an offensive line that rarely afforded him time.
—Jacob Robinson, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
Ekwonu suggested postgame that Young was hamstrung by the pockets and looks the offensive line afforded him.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 30 Sep. 2025
Even if its leaders still want to move military forces abroad, their ability to do so would be hamstrung by the paralysis of vital logistics, transportation and communications infrastructure achieved through these cyberattacks.
—Jim Richberg, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
They are hamstrung by having fewer states in their control and stricter rules that make partisan redrawing more difficult.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 24 Aug. 2025
The admission is just the latest bungle from New York’s beleaguered legal marijuana program, which has been hamstrung by legal challenges, a slow rollout and gaps in the law that allowed an illicit market to flourish.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2025
The Hill’s Jared Gans reports that Democrats are hamstrung by their own recent push to use independent redistricting commissions, taking the issue out of the hands of state lawmakers.
—Jonathan Easley, The Hill, 4 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hamstrung
Adjective
-
The pose Harris struck and held through her unsuccessful 2024 campaign for the White House is called the good soldier.—
Jeremy Lott,
The Washington Examiner,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Now, after years of mostly unsuccessful efforts to eliminate windows from cabins, one luxury jet maker appears to be on the verge of doing just that.—
Mack DeGeurin,
Popular Science,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
One of the saddest parts of Remember The Titans is when Bertier got into a car accident that left him paralyzed before their last game.—
Jessica Booth,
PEOPLE,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Inside, the wasp provisions its offspring with paralyzed spiders or insects.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Another hunter had crippled him.—
Robert Merchant,
Outdoor Life,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Such a finding could’ve crippled the operations of Google, Meta and X, among various others.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
To overcome the challenge of inefficient routing, Professor Kyung-Joon Park’s team implemented a collective intelligence algorithm based on a human social phenomenon.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Without scale, businesses remain inefficient and uncompetitive.—
Emeka Ajene,
semafor.com,
29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
This is obvious enough in the contrast between the aggressive takedown in humor and the helpless surrender in tears.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
23 Sep. 2025
-
The series also starred Portia de Rossi as the family's layabout daughter, Lindsay; David Cross as her aspiring actor husband, Tobias; Alia Shawkat as their teen daughter, Maeby; Jessica Walter as the family's elitist matriarch, Lucille; and Tony Hale as the dynasty's helpless youngest son, Buster.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
But reliance on soldiers of fortune undermined the Kremlin’s message of national unity and allowed an overwhelming majority of Russians to stay uninvolved.—
Nina Khrushcheva,
Time,
3 Oct. 2025
-
That mission has now been undermined.—
John Eger,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Others—such as an eagerness to engage someone in combat—work in the gym, ring, and battlefield but become counterproductive and even destructive outside of those contexts.—
Dan Brooks,
The Atlantic,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Once again, the process is likely to be costly, counterproductive and completely unnecessary.—
Bloomberg Opinion,
Twin Cities,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Nobody can say that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a weak team.—
James Brizuela,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Akin to two boxers with weak chins slugging it out, Villa wanted to land another blow.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hamstrung.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hamstrung. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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