Synonyms of incapacitating

incapacitating

verb

present participle of incapacitate

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

• paralyzing
• crippling
• disabling
• undermining
• immobilizing
• weakening
• debilitating
• hamstringing
• attenuating
• sapping
• undercutting
• prostrating
• enervating
• tiring
• maiming
• mutilating
• enfeebling
• hobbling
• laming
• knocking out

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• energizing
• invigorating
• galvanizing
• vitalizing
• strengthening
• fortifying
• empowering
• restoring
• regenerating
• reviving
• revitalizing
• rejuvenating
• refreshing
• freshening
• refreshening

2

as in crippling

to cause severe or permanent injury to

the stroke left her completely incapacitated

Synonyms & Similar Words

• crippling
• disabling
• wounding
• injuring
• damaging
• maiming
• bruising
• mutilating
• killing
• paralyzing
• scarring
• hurting
• laming
• hitting
• impairing
• beating
• battering
• disfiguring
• lacerating
• dismembering
• hobbling
• hamstringing
• mauling
• harming
• mangling
• torturing
• licking
• murdering
• pounding
• winging
• pummeling
• smacking
• bludgeoning
• goring
• tormenting
• punching
• buffeting
• whipping
• smashing
• hammering
• slapping
• thumping
• whacking
• banging
• swatting
• roughing (up)
• pelting
• kneecapping
• thrashing
• lashing
• boxing
• socking
• belting
• spanking
• bashing
• swiping
• flogging
• walloping
• pasting
• thwacking
• lambasting
• breaking
• lacing
• drubbing
• bunging up
• pommeling

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• healing
• curing
• remedying
• rehabilitating
• fixing
• repairing
• patching
• restoring
• mending
• renewing
• doctoring
• rejuvenating

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of incapacitating

The driver hits Leatherface in the head with a wrench, incapacitating him long enough for the driver to run away and Sally to jump into the cab of a passing pickup truck. — Jordana Rosenfeld, Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 July 2026

Tabitha grabs one of the weird, spooky totem things and drives it through the chest of the scarecrow monster attacking Donna, killing it – or at least incapacitating it – and the scarecrows retreat. — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026

One of four passengers in Bain’s car, 22-year-old Destiny Betts, suffered incapacitating injuries and was transported to the Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial from the scene, according to the report. — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 13 Apr. 2026

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