1
as in paralyzing
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
2
as in crippling
to cause severe or permanent injury to
the stroke left her completely incapacitated
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of incapacitating
The defendant at the trial, Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company, argued that its policy covered only losses resulting from a medically verified, incapacitating illness.
—
Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 10 Mar. 2026
Larter's Angela has been put through the wringer on the second season of Landman, from getting into an explosive battle with Thornton's Tommy over her period to getting arrested for incapacitating two health inspectors during a visit to her local nursing home.
—Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Jan. 2026
Dysentery and scurvy ravaged the vessel, killing or incapacitating many on board.
—The Week Uk, TheWeek, 8 Jan. 2026
Documentation is required to show incapacitating injury and illness.
—Ralph D. Russo, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2026
The only way to repair the rift and deal with the incapacitating grief is through art.
—James Shapiro, The Atlantic, 1 Dec. 2025
He is accused of slipping incapacitating drugs into victims’ food or drinks before assaulting them between 2021 and 2024.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2025
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
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
Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 10 Mar. 2026
Larter's Angela has been put through the wringer on the second season of Landman, from getting into an explosive battle with Thornton's Tommy over her period to getting arrested for incapacitating two health inspectors during a visit to her local nursing home.
—Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Jan. 2026
Dysentery and scurvy ravaged the vessel, killing or incapacitating many on board.
—The Week Uk, TheWeek, 8 Jan. 2026
Documentation is required to show incapacitating injury and illness.
—Ralph D. Russo, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2026
The only way to repair the rift and deal with the incapacitating grief is through art.
—James Shapiro, The Atlantic, 1 Dec. 2025
He is accused of slipping incapacitating drugs into victims’ food or drinks before assaulting them between 2021 and 2024.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2025
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incapacitating
Verb
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At age 14, Arias was caught in the crossfire of a shootout between rival gangs, paralyzing him from the waist down.—
Kayla Hayempour,
NBC news,
8 Mar. 2026
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In a region where weather swings from paralyzing ice storms to scorching summers, these elements carry weight.—
Mary Grace Granados
Special Contributor,
Dallas Morning News,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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All three largely believe the war caused the high gas and grocery prices that are crippling the nation’s economy.—
Terry Collins,
USA Today,
28 Mar. 2026
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This creates permanent skin damage around the well, fundamentally destroying its natural permeability and crippling its long-term productivity.—
Siddharth Misra,
Fortune,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Analysts say its unusual movements — including disabling its tracking signal — are consistent with tactics used to evade sanctions.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
25 Mar. 2026
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The Simpson returned fire with four missiles of its own, disabling the Iranian boat, before it was finished off by gunfire from the US flotilla.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
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During a Fourth of July protest outside an Alvarado detention center, at which demonstrators were setting off fireworks, an assailant fired a gun, wounding a police officer.—
Oriana van Praag,
New Yorker,
28 Mar. 2026
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Give forgiveness room by admitting your limits before pushing past them and wounding your soul.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The order vacated guilty verdicts from the 2018 trial of Renardo Williams, who was convicted of killing Bethgy Catora and shooting and injuring Mayklens Francois during a drug deal gone wrong.—
Colleen Cronin,
Boston Herald,
31 Mar. 2026
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Rodriguez landed on his knees, injuring his shoulder, and was hoisting himself back up when Hernandez allegedly targeted Williams, according to prosecutors.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Incapacitating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incapacitating. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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