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
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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
-
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
-
Confidence in Israel’s ability to seriously damage Iran’s nuclear program has slipped from 62% to 48%; expectations of crippling its ballistic missile arsenal have dropped from 73% to 57%.—
Tal Shalev,
CNN Money,
5 Apr. 2026
-
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
Verb
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The Navy deployed carbon-fiber warheads on Tomahawk missiles in the opening hours of the 1991 Gulf War, disabling roughly 85% of Iraq’s electricity supply.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
6 Apr. 2026
-
The kind that the Iranians have had no problem so far either disabling or deterring with firepower from drones.—
Rachel Marsden,
Hartford Courant,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Russia and Ukraine exchanged deadly strikes overnight, killing 10 people and wounding dozens in intense drone warfare.—
Volodymyr Yurchuk,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Apr. 2026
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State and local authorities are frantically searching for a suspect armed with a long gun who allegedly opened fire at family members and responding law enforcement in New Hampshire on Saturday, wounding a police officer and triggering a massive manhunt.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The city of Fort Worth is taking proactive measures to stop people from popping off and injuring their neighbors with stray bullets.—
Harrison Mantas,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 Apr. 2026
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Since the start of the conflict, Tehran has fired more than 5,000 missiles and drones at Gulf states, killing 27 people and injuring at least 274 others as of April 6.—
Kelsey Warner,
semafor.com,
7 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Incapacitating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incapacitating. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
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