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 Grayson filed for release under the Joe Coleman Act, which applies to incarcerated people who are terminally ill or medically incapacitated. — Ava Kelley, NBC news, 31 July 2026 Furthermore, the Iranians are far from disabled, disarmed and incapacitated. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 26 July 2026 According to the complaint, Willis has been left completely incapacitated since a brief stint at Summit Malibu in early 2024, unable to move or communicate beyond occasionally opening her eyes and sometimes grunting. — Gustavo Turner, HollywoodReporter, 24 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 See All Example Sentences for incapacitate

Recent Examples of Synonyms for incapacitate

Verb

Four patients getting routine joint replacement surgeries at a hospital in Nashville allegedly had the wrong drug injected into their spines, leaving at least one woman paralyzed, according to her family.

— Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 22 Aug. 2026
That summer, Detroit was paralyzed by a violent uprising, which erupted after the city’s predominantly white police force raided a night club in a Black neighborhood.

— Rozina Ali, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of paralyze

Verb

Refineries in Russia, a major exporter of fuel, have been crippled by drone attacks from Ukraine.

— Matt Egan, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026
Donalds is a full-bore supporter of the destructive homestead exemption proposal known as Amendment 3 that would cripple local government.

— Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of cripple

Verb

According to Axios, the US military has helped ferry crude through the Strait of Hormuz, driving overall levels of exports through the key waterway to about half of prewar levels and undermining Iranian efforts to control the crossing.

— Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 20 Aug. 2026
Constant record-setting ticket sales and TV viewership were undermined by growing resentment among everyone from athletes to fans over the players’ salaries; Clark’s rookie pay was just $76,000.

— Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of undermine

Verb

While no civilians were injured, one firefighter was taken away for treatment of smoke inhalation and is in stable condition.

— Nathalie Marie Palacios, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026
In Russian attacks elsewhere, local officials said that one person was killed and 15 people injured in the southern Zaporizhzhia region.

— David Brennan, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of injure

Verb

Demining groups say that without international support, Southeast Asia’s unfinished work clearing land mines and unexploded bombs will continue to endanger communities, maiming and killing people and slowing development for years to come.

— ABC News, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026
His act made use of racial and ethnic slurs, under the philosophy that taboo words lost their maiming edge with repetition.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of maim

Verb

In 2021, a teen was arrested after wounding two students and injuring two others in a shooting at a high school in Newport News, Virginia.

— Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026
An Israeli strike on the backyard of a house in central Gaza killed one Palestinian and wounded another Saturday, according to health officials at Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of wound

Verb

In the face of pushback — including activists who cover up or disable the cameras — Flock assures the public that its products should only be used with strict privacy and accountability measures.

— Steven Greenhut, Oc Register, 14 Aug. 2026
Stop if setup instructions ask you to disable Google Play Protect.

— Jesse Watson , Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of disable

Verb

Video released by police after the shooting showed two officers charging into the school and killing the shooter, who’d just fatally shot three 9-year-olds and three adults and was firing from a window.

— Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026
Since then, more than 200 people have been killed in strikes in the eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea.

— CBS News, CBS News, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of kill

Browse Nearby Words

incapably

incapacitate

incapacitated

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“Incapacitate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incapacitate. Accessed 25 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of incapacitate

verb

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