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
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
In a screen grab from his brief appearance Wednesday, Abu Safiya, 53, was shown handcuffed and sitting in white prison garb.
—Julia Frankel, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2026
In a screen grab from his brief appearance on Wednesday, Abu Safiya, 53, was shown handcuffed and sitting in white prison garb.
—Julia Frankel, Chicago Tribune, 11 June 2026
In fact, sheriff's deputies handcuffed a Black man accused of assaulting another Black man.
—Marvin Hurst, CBS News, 10 June 2026
Verb
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
In a screen grab from his brief appearance Wednesday, Abu Safiya, 53, was shown handcuffed and sitting in white prison garb.
—Julia Frankel, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2026
In a screen grab from his brief appearance on Wednesday, Abu Safiya, 53, was shown handcuffed and sitting in white prison garb.
—Julia Frankel, Chicago Tribune, 11 June 2026
In fact, sheriff's deputies handcuffed a Black man accused of assaulting another Black man.
—Marvin Hurst, CBS News, 10 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for handcuffed
Adjective
-
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.—
Cesar R. Torres,
The Conversation,
17 June 2026
-
Arturo has grown used to driving by traffic stops, then circling back to move his friends’ and neighbors’ abandoned cars to their helpless families left behind.—
Karen Valby,
Vanity Fair,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
But Adams is bounding around the rooftop beaming, teeth porcelain-white, face slathered in makeup, hair firmly coiffed.—
Aidan McLaughlin,
Vanity Fair,
18 June 2026
-
The order covered an area bounded by Soto Street and Indiana Street and extending from the 10 Freeway south to Washington Boulevard.—
Sydney Barragan,
Daily News,
18 June 2026
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.—
Gianluca Mezzofiore,
CNN Money,
19 June 2026
-
Russia’s determination to maintain a tight grip on AI development has hampered its own efforts to advance the technology.—
Nikita Ostrovsky,
Time,
18 June 2026
Adjective
-
McConnell has always appeared to have a somewhat unsteady gate — a childhood bout of polio left him with a partially paralyzed leg.—
Eric McDaniel,
NPR,
14 June 2026
-
Your stomach isn’t literally paralyzed — but it’s slowed down enough to cause real problems.—
Ryan Brennan,
Sacbee.com,
13 June 2026
Verb
-
Brazil and Morocco are currently tied atop Group C with four points apiece.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
20 June 2026
-
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.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
20 June 2026
Verb
-
They were said to have impeded its free movement, scratching and otherwise damaging the body work.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
11 June 2026
-
Trump advisers have said the South Korea trade deal will remain impeded until there’s a resolution over the Coupang issue.—
Eleanor Mueller,
semafor.com,
10 June 2026
Adjective
-
But lingering high ticket prices combined with weaker teams might mean sparse attendance.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
19 June 2026
-
Tokyo wants to appear to be fighting a weak yen, while welcoming it in private.—
William Pesek,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
Verb
-
Mangione, dressed in a navy suit, was shackled at the hands for the entirety of Wednesday's hearing.—
Peter Charalambous,
ABC News,
17 June 2026
-
In northern Oregon, just before dawn in October 2025, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested and shackled two farmworkers on their way to work.—
Carol Rose Little,
The Conversation,
12 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Handcuffed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/handcuffed. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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