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
• hobbled
• blocked
• stymied
• hog-tied
• fettered
• restrained
• tied up
• delayed
• encumbered
• interfered (with)
• tied
• constrained
• short-circuited
• clogged
• disrupted
• trammeled
• held back
• bound
• frustrated
• arrested
• thwarted
• chained
• tethered
• cramped one's style
• balked
• reined
• leashed
• stifled
• held up
• barricaded
• gave a hard time
• curbed
• checked
• choked
• retarded
• retained
• 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

Video shows the suspect sitting handcuffed on the ground as officers arrive. — Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 9 Oct. 2026

Armed and hooded, the gang was waved in by Black and surprised, subdued, and handcuffed the other security guards. — Frannie Comstock, Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Oct. 2026

At least one person was handcuffed before law enforcement led him out. — Sophia Vlahakis, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026

The incident ended when two other officers arrived to restore order, at which point Lopez was handcuffed, Kremer said Monday evening. — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026

The hours of footage capture officers questioning Mangione at the fast-food restaurant on the morning of December 9, 2024, before he is handcuffed, searched and transported to the police station. — Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2026

Pictures posted online purporting to show the site of the arrest showed several shirtless men handcuffed, sitting on the ground. — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 27 Sep. 2026

Makia Gorham was handcuffed and left without a seat belt in a van before being kept in a holding cell overnight, the suit says. — Ben Conarck, Washington Post, 27 Sep. 2026

Images shared by the Daily Mail show five shirtless men sitting in the road while being handcuffed. — Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 27 Sep. 2026