as in helpless
unable to act or achieve one's purpose
handcuffed by a dearth of funding, the preservation society can do little but stand by as these historic structures deteriorate
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in bound
to confine or restrain with or as if with chains
wanted to take the trip, but was handcuffed by her responsibility to watch her ailing father
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hampered
to create difficulty for the work or activity of
the fear that the new mandatory, standardized tests will handcuff the state's teachers, who will have to specifically tailor their lesson plans for the test
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of handcuffed
Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 8 Nov. 2025
The man appeared to already be handcuffed and was escorted away from his car.
—Michael Nied, PEOPLE, 6 Nov. 2025
Soumaya Hamdi said on October 28 that her husband was taken in the middle of the night to be processed in Fresno, during which he was handcuffed at both wrists and ankles.
—Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
Don’t feel handcuffed to the ingredients.
—Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 Oct. 2025
O’Hara, who recorded his protests and shared them on TikTok, was released without charges after being handcuffed for about 20 minutes, according to the lawsuit.
—Real-Time News Team, Miami Herald, 27 Oct. 2025
When told to back up, Givens starts yelling at police, at which point he is grabbed, taken to the ground and handcuffed.
—Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2025
At the precinct, the officers handcuffed him to a chair.
—Omar Jimenez, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2025
Two hours later, they were handcuffed and taken for fingerprinting, and their hope grew stronger.
—Mosab Abu Toha, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
Garcia allegedly struck officers before he was handcuffed.
—Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 8 Nov. 2025
The man appeared to already be handcuffed and was escorted away from his car.
—Michael Nied, PEOPLE, 6 Nov. 2025
Soumaya Hamdi said on October 28 that her husband was taken in the middle of the night to be processed in Fresno, during which he was handcuffed at both wrists and ankles.
—Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
Don’t feel handcuffed to the ingredients.
—Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 Oct. 2025
O’Hara, who recorded his protests and shared them on TikTok, was released without charges after being handcuffed for about 20 minutes, according to the lawsuit.
—Real-Time News Team, Miami Herald, 27 Oct. 2025
When told to back up, Givens starts yelling at police, at which point he is grabbed, taken to the ground and handcuffed.
—Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2025
At the precinct, the officers handcuffed him to a chair.
—Omar Jimenez, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2025
Two hours later, they were handcuffed and taken for fingerprinting, and their hope grew stronger.
—Mosab Abu Toha, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for handcuffed
Adjective
-
People eventually outgrow the helpless-baby stage.—
Anna Louie Sussman,
The Atlantic,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Without money and without a means to earn it, women are helpless to determine the course of their own lives.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Viewers were able to see the hilarious shot of Jinky in the bath quickly cut to a very telling scene of the same dog bounding into a marshland or small lake, tail wagging, body splashing through mud and water in total ecstasy.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Nov. 2025
-
District 2 is bounded by Five Mile Road to the west, Franklin Road to the south, and the Interstate-184 Connector to the east.—
Idaho Statesman,
Idaho Statesman,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
This isn’t the first time injuries have hampered Norfleet.—
Chase Gemes,
Kansas City Star,
7 Nov. 2025
-
All of these issues combined have left Target with a workforce that has grown faster than sales and a complex corporate structure that has hampered decision-making and created needless red tape.—
Gabrielle Fonrouge,Annie Palmer,Frank Holland,
CNBC,
4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
In a heartbreaking video, a partially paralyzed dog is caught twitching his paws in his sleep, and internet users can’t stop sobbing.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Nov. 2025
-
After suddenly losing her voice in November 2022, Williams-Paisley was later diagnosed with a partially paralyzed vocal cord.—
Christopher Rudolph,
PEOPLE,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The Lakers tied the Detroit Pistons for the second-most wins in the NBA (eight) behind only the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder (10-1), but that wasn’t the only good news the team got on Monday.—
Michael Gallagher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Nov. 2025
-
Awards tied to market cap gains are paired with operational achievements.—
Lora Kolodny,
CNBC,
11 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
But San Francisco’s star running back impeded Lake enough for Jones to make the throw.—
Marcus Thompson II,
New York Times,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Meanwhile, Simmons’ financial liabilities don’t seem to have impeded his movements.—
Victoria Bekiempis,
Rolling Stone,
3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Western countries could exploit weak points in supply chains for many of Russia's advanced fighter jets, including by tightening up sanctions as Ukraine strikes Russia's industrial facilities, according to a new report.—
Ellie Cook,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Nov. 2025
-
Respiratory difficulty, constipation, poor feeding, drooping eyelids and a weak and altered cry are among the symptoms of infant botulism.—
Chad Murphy,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Court process begins with hearing Both Mahmoud and Ali were shackled as they were escorted into court Monday, according to CNN reporters who attended the hearing.—
Chelsea Bailey,
CNN Money,
4 Nov. 2025
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Last month, immigration authorities raided a Hyundai battery plant in Georgia, detained 300 South Korean workers and showed video of some of them shackled in chains.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
18 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Handcuffed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/handcuffed. Accessed 20 Nov. 2025.
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