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
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
This is not some bloodthirsty pirate contempt with conquering a pleasure planet like everyone thought, but a calculative master manipulator and tactician who knew the value of Kalgan and used it to acquire a larger prize — incapacitating the Empire’s attack forces.
—Rafael Motamayor, Vulture, 9 Aug. 2025
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
This is not some bloodthirsty pirate contempt with conquering a pleasure planet like everyone thought, but a calculative master manipulator and tactician who knew the value of Kalgan and used it to acquire a larger prize — incapacitating the Empire’s attack forces.
—Rafael Motamayor, Vulture, 9 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incapacitating
Verb
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In rare cases, the toxin can spread beyond the injection site to other parts of the body, paralyzing or weakening muscles needed for breathing and swallowing.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
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Their meet-cute involves a pterodactyl, a number of plants that shoot paralyzing needles, and a nest in which Thia has been imprisoned.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Since then, they've been forced to work remotely — at a time when the government was doling out return-to-office mandates — preventing access to labs and crippling the center's mission of embedding NASA climate scientists within international academia.—
Josh Dinner,
Space.com,
31 Oct. 2025
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On December 7, 1941, 353 Japanese aircraft attacked Pearl Harbor, killing 2,403 Americans and crippling much of the Pacific Fleet.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The electricity has gone out several times, disabling the elevators and taking away his ability to get to work.—
Sydney Franklin,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
9 Nov. 2025
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In recent years, scientists have been able to identify many cytokines and create targeted therapies for a host of disabling, sometimes fatal, diseases.—
Jason Liebowitz,
The Atlantic,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Nidal Hasan committed a mass shooting at Fort Hood in Texas, killing 13 people and wounding more than 30.—
Lorenzino Estrada,
AZCentral.com,
5 Nov. 2025
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The most jarring example is the June 20, 2021 massacre in Richmond, where SSL-502 members allegedly opened fire at a house party where people were celebrating the Guatemalan Summer Solstice, killing three and wounding four.—
Harry Harris,
Mercury News,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Other events in the secondary season include the November 2018 tornado outbreak which spawned at least 10 tornadoes throughout Middle Tennessee, killing one person and injuring three others.—
Diana Leyva,
Nashville Tennessean,
6 Nov. 2025
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Local officials said a 35-year-old man deliberately drove into people between the towns of Saint Pierre d'Oléron and Dolus d'Oléron on Île d’Oléron on Wednesday, injuring 10 people.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Incapacitating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incapacitating. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.
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