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

The Athletics head into a three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have the best record in the MLB, more than a little handcuffed by injuries. — Sean Campbell, Sacbee.com, 30 June 2026

Any Bay State citizen from Boston to Great Barrington would have been handcuffed and hauled into court yesterday for sucker-punching a fellow bar patron the way a State Police officer did over the weekend. — Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 30 June 2026

Carrico ordered her out of the vehicle, handcuffed her behind her back, and transported her to the Buckeye Police Department booking facility. — Maia Niguel Hoskin, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026

The officer radioed for backup and more police came, surrounded the man, grabbed his arms, and handcuffed him, according to police testimony. — Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 29 June 2026

He is shackled by the feet and handcuffed. — Ginny Monk, Hartford Courant, 27 June 2026

Tyson, who surrendered himself to authorities, was arrested on June 4, months after Nuñez and Jones were handcuffed. — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 26 June 2026

One of the troops summoned Metropolitan Police Department officers, who stopped O’Hara and kept him handcuffed for 15 to 20 minutes before releasing him without charges, according to the lawsuit. — ABC News, 26 June 2026

This is just one in a sweaty dungeon of hundreds of TikTok videos that show women being stalked, grabbed, tortured, tossed to the ground, and handcuffed by scary masked soldiers. — Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 25 June 2026