as in paralyzing
to render powerless, ineffective, or unable to move
town councils felt immobilized by the powers newly granted to the state legislation
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Recent Examples of immobilizing
As the machines thunder down the track, momentum causes the weight-box to slide across the trailer until the balance shifts so much that the sled digs into the ground and the back tires lift, immobilizing it.
—
Zach Jaworski, NPR, 18 Aug. 2025
Zach Jaworski, NPR, 18 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for immobilizing
Verb
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The pressure Alex, who is endowed by Martin with endearing softness and paralyzing self-doubt, feels to be a brave cop, a strong father, and the righteous hero of this story can’t be separated from his experience as a trans man still honing his relationship to masculinity.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
25 Sep. 2025
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By contrast, maybe such language engenders a sense of defeatism, a belief in the inevitability of collapse which is collectively paralyzing.—
Ed Simon
September 24,
Literary Hub,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Related Stories Pogachefsky is now suing 42West and his former employees, accusing them of crippling his company and scuttling his talks to sell the firm.—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
22 Sep. 2025
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While many may worry that lending financial support to their children may be crippling them or enabling them, nearly 77% of the parents surveyed do so with some kind of stipulation or contingency.—
Essence,
Essence,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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While the name suggests something far more trivial, significant damage to the ligaments of the metatarsophalangeal joint can be incapacitating.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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To write one’s way out of the incapacitating dependence of daughterhood into autonomy means shedding the unquestioning fidelity of a child.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The crew then fired three rounds into the starboard engine, disabling the boat about four miles southwest of Point Loma.—
Teri Figueroa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Sep. 2025
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Since alopecia is a socially disabling condition, being naturally bald in public can feel like a radical statement.—
Essence,
Essence,
24 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Immobilizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/immobilizing. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.
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