Synonyms of handcuffed

handcuffed 1 of 2

adjective

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

• helpless
• paralyzed
• weak
• incompetent
• powerless
• hog-tied
• impotent
• high and dry
• hamstrung
• passive
• incapable
• useless
• ineffective
• impuissant
• unfit
• feeble
• ineffectual
• supine
• infirm
• inept
• spineless
• frail
• unaggressive

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• able
• powerful
• strong
• capable
• competent
• mighty
• effective
• efficient
• potent
• dominant
• authoritarian
• autocratic
• tough
• sturdy
• dynamic
• forceful
• vigorous
• important
• tyrannical
• robust
• energetic
• major
• significant
• top
• dictatorial
• senior
• despotic
• puissant
• magisterial
• high-level

handcuffed

2 of 2

verb

past tense of handcuff

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

• bound
• tied
• shackled
• hampered
• chained
• pinioned
• manacled
• confined
• lashed
• fettered
• constrained
• enchained
• attached
• trammeled
• enfettered
• trussed
• gyved
• linked
• secured
• hobbled
• fastened
• hog-tied
• ironed
• restricted
• hindered
• impeded
• bitted
• limited
• joined
• curbed
• tangled
• entangled

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• rescued
• liberated
• freed
• released
• unbound
• unshackled
• emancipated
• loosed
• untied
• unfastened
• unfettered
• detached
• disengaged
• undid
• untangled

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• hampered
• impeded
• hindered
• embarrassed
• obstructed
• handicapped
• shackled
• manacled
• inhibited
• cramped
• blocked
• hobbled
• stymied
• hog-tied
• restrained
• fettered
• delayed
• tied up
• encumbered
• interfered (with)
• tied
• constrained
• short-circuited
• disrupted
• clogged
• trammeled
• held back
• bound
• frustrated
• thwarted
• arrested
• chained
• tethered
• cramped one's style
• balked
• reined
• stifled
• leashed
• held up
• barricaded
• gave a hard time
• checked
• curbed
• choked
• retained
• retarded
• strangled
• confined
• braked
• baffled
• blockaded
• muzzled
• suffocated
• haltered
• smothered
• mired
• bogged (down)
• foiled
• sabotaged
• roadblocked
• stumped
• derailed
• repressed
• hemmed (in)
• suppressed
• hedged (in)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• assisted
• helped
• aided
• facilitated
• opened
• released
• cleared
• freed
• liberated
• untied
• loosened
• unplugged
• smoothed
• encouraged
• promoted
• made way
• unclogged
• unstopped
• furthered

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of handcuffed

Verb

Lebson said he has been moved from a prison to a civilian hospital, where he is hooked up to a feeding tube and handcuffed to a bed. — Michael Casey, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2026

The 4-photo carousel begins with a photo of Spider-Man releasing his iconic web, with the last photo showing several men handcuffed and covered in spiderwebs, overlooked by an ICE agent. — Greta Cross, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2026

In body camera footage released by AFP, the man is seen handcuffed and escorted off the plane, past airline employees and down the jetbridge. — Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 5 Aug. 2026

The suspect was immediately handcuffed by officers, the video shows. — Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 1 Aug. 2026

Maddox, who was handcuffed outside his mother’s home while investigators searched the property, was also released without charges after several hours of questioning. — Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 31 July 2026

Galatolo, who had remained free pending sentencing, was handcuffed and taken into custody after the hearing. — Caelyn Pender, Mercury News, 31 July 2026

According to the claim, Daniel Maddox, was held at gunpoint, handcuffed, and then arrested outside the family home during the same incident. — Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 31 July 2026

One of the Guard members continued holding King on the ground after she was handcuffed. — Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 29 July 2026