INCAPACITATE Synonyms: 104 Similar and Opposite Words

incapacitate

verb

ˌin-kə-ˈpa-sə-ˌtāt

Definition of incapacitate

as in to paralyze

to render powerless, ineffective, or unable to move the malfunctioning of a single component can incapacitate the engine

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to cripple

to cause severe or permanent injury to the stroke left her completely incapacitated

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of incapacitate The toxicology report could shed light on whether any substance may have incapacitated Wells from swimming to safety. — Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 23 July 2026 Videos shared on social media show one of the injured was left incapacitated on the floor, surrounded by insulation. — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 21 July 2026 Many department policies tell officers to move out of the way of a vehicle rather than shoot because of the potential harm to bystanders who could be struck by unintended gunfire or by a careening vehicle if the driver is incapacitated. — ABC News, 14 July 2026 Last August, Parithad was catapulted into the position of CEO, after a court deemed Chuchat legally incapacitated. — Angelica Ang, Fortune, 13 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for incapacitate

Recent Examples of Synonyms for incapacitate

Verb

Prosecutors say after killing her children, Clancy cut her wrists and neck and jumped from a second-story window, leaving her partially paralyzed.

— Andi Babineau, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026
Some venoms paralyze respiratory muscles, while others destroy tissue, disrupt blood clotting, damage kidneys, or trigger cardiovascular collapse.

— Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of paralyze

Verb

Africa desperately needs them, crippled by a fundamental lack of traditional national film funding incentives.

— John Hopewell, Variety, 5 Aug. 2026
Winds cripple aerial firefighting Nearly 500 firefighters and 23 aircraft were deployed, but gale-force winds drove flames through dry forest and crippled the response, preventing some aircraft from reaching the sea to collect water.

— Elena Becatoros, Los Angeles Times, 2 Aug. 2026

Definition of cripple

Verb

Eight maritime groups signed a joint open letter to the UN and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) on Monday, warning that introducing tolls could drive up costs for consumers and undermine the principles of free navigation.

— Todd Symons, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026
Burnout research explains why organizational systems often undermine that recovery.

— Gerald J. Leonard, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of undermine

Verb

Last week, Tehran accused Kyiv of striking an Iranian commercial vessel carrying a cargo of iron, killing a seafarer and injuring three others.

— Hanna Ziady, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026
In June 2022, another member of Fox’s swimming club, the Kelp Krawlers, Steve Bruemmer, was bitten and seriously injured while swimming in the same area.

— Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of injure

Verb

He was previously charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (scissors) and assault with intent to maim, and he was convicted of arson.

— Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 24 July 2026
Even in 2026, the category’s identity is anchored in infamous scenes of maiming, torture, and cathartic bloodshed.

— Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 22 July 2026

Definition of maim

Verb

Tenants of the building on Bergen Street were told to remain in their units for several hours as police investigated reports of shots fired and at least three people wounded.

— Andrew Ramos, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2026
The overall total of wounded from the conflict now stands at 642 troops, between the figures listed under Operation Epic Fury and those listed in the new category in the Pentagon’s online system.

— Konstantin Toropin, Chicago Tribune, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of wound

Verb

Tens of thousands of gallons of fluid spilled from the open pit, urged on by heavy spring rains and unencumbered by an emergency pump disabled by a power failure.

— Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 3 Aug. 2026
Soon after the executive order, Anthropic had to disable access to its Fable 5 and Mythos 5 models to comply with an export control directive that was issued by the Commerce Department.

— Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 31 July 2026

Definition of disable

Verb

Attacks on Wildberries’ warehouses last month killed at least eight people in a single day which, up until Monday’s strike on Nizhnekamsk, was the deadliest Ukrainian attack inside Russia.

— Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 10 Aug. 2026
Alicent, not at all her friend in the book, is chained up and not sent off on some silly assassination attempt to kill her son, Aemond.

— Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of kill

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incapably

incapacitate

incapacitated

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“Incapacitate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incapacitate. Accessed 11 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of incapacitate

verb

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