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
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of handcuffed
Jakob Rodgers,
Mercury News,
24 June 2026
But prison guards threw the decision in the trash, handcuffed Landor to a chair and shaved his head, his lawyers said.
—
Melissa Quinn,
CBS News,
23 June 2026
He was handcuffed and appeared considerably thinner than before his arrest.
—
Mary Kekatos,
ABC News,
20 June 2026
As he was handcuffed and removed from the courtroom, spectators erupted in cheers and applause, according to footage from the courtroom.
—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
18 June 2026
Martinez was taken from her still-running vehicle and handcuffed, and no warrant was shown, according to the complaint.
—
Laura Tillman,
Hartford Courant,
16 June 2026
During the traffic stop, according to the lawsuit, officers pointed firearms at Cartee and handcuffed him behind his back before pulling him backward by the arms into the patrol vehicle and mocking him for being in pain.
—
Camryn Dadey,
Sacbee.com,
16 June 2026
After Griffin arrived at the hospital to meet Parker, he was handcuffed and questioned by authorities.
—
Brianna Zigler,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 June 2026
Police have not named the suspect, who appeared in other videos walking handcuffed down the street with Maple and Clutch, mascot heads back in place.
—
Matt Moret,
New York Times,
13 June 2026
Verb
About 14 minutes after officers handcuffed Martin, officers could be seen carrying Martin out of the house, because, police said, the paramedics’ gurney could not make it inside the home.
—
Jakob Rodgers,
Mercury News,
24 June 2026
But prison guards threw the decision in the trash, handcuffed Landor to a chair and shaved his head, his lawyers said.
—
Melissa Quinn,
CBS News,
23 June 2026
He was handcuffed and appeared considerably thinner than before his arrest.
—
Mary Kekatos,
ABC News,
20 June 2026
As he was handcuffed and removed from the courtroom, spectators erupted in cheers and applause, according to footage from the courtroom.
—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
18 June 2026
Martinez was taken from her still-running vehicle and handcuffed, and no warrant was shown, according to the complaint.
—
Laura Tillman,
Hartford Courant,
16 June 2026
During the traffic stop, according to the lawsuit, officers pointed firearms at Cartee and handcuffed him behind his back before pulling him backward by the arms into the patrol vehicle and mocking him for being in pain.
—
Camryn Dadey,
Sacbee.com,
16 June 2026
After Griffin arrived at the hospital to meet Parker, he was handcuffed and questioned by authorities.
—
Brianna Zigler,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 June 2026
Police have not named the suspect, who appeared in other videos walking handcuffed down the street with Maple and Clutch, mascot heads back in place.
—
Matt Moret,
New York Times,
13 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for handcuffed
Adjective
-
But when his son Naseer was born in May 2025, Ajas Ahmed had never felt so helpless.
-
Over the course of a 60-yard run, Maradona danced past opponents, escaped challenges and left English defenders helpless before beating the goalkeeper with a clinical finish.
Verb
-
Over a century later, the Himalayan blackberry has spread far beyond the modest backyard bounds its importers envisioned, opting instead to take over indiscriminately and displace the native trailing blackberry (Rubus ursinus) in the process.
-
What The $10 Million Cap Changes At the old $1 million ceiling, operational risk was bounded by the dollar amount.
Verb
-
Withington noted that international sanctions have hampered Moscow’s ability to access the technology needed to develop new systems capable of engaging these Ukrainian attacks.
-
Russia’s determination to maintain a tight grip on AI development has hampered its own efforts to advance the technology.
Adjective
-
Earlier this year, Neuralink—the world’s most high-profile and well-funded BCI startup—launched a clinical trial to enable paralyzed patients to output verbal thoughts directly as text or speech.
-
McConnell has always appeared to have a somewhat unsteady gate — a childhood bout of polio left him with a partially paralyzed leg.
Verb
-
Brazil and Morocco are currently tied atop Group C with four points apiece.
-
San Francisco tied the game at 1-1 in the second following Caissie’s home run on a Daniel Susac sacrifice fly after loading the bases on three consecutive singles against Lake Bachar, who opened Miami’s bullpen game.
Verb
-
Meanwhile, Australia assistant coach Paul Okon argued that their goalkeeper Patrick Beach was impeded during the play.
-
They were said to have impeded its free movement, scratching and otherwise damaging the body work.
Adjective
-
But lingering high ticket prices combined with weaker teams might mean sparse attendance.
-
Tokyo wants to appear to be fighting a weak yen, while welcoming it in private.
Verb
-
Another vintage bit, which MTV also declined to air, involves Knoxville, dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit and shackled in handcuffs, entering a hardware store and asking for a hacksaw.
-
Written by Evan Cooper, Blood On The Promontory finds five convicts trying to escape through the mountains following a violent train robbery, while shackled together by foot.
Cite this Entry
“Handcuffed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/handcuffed. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
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