PARALYSES Synonyms: 25 Similar and Opposite Words

paralysis

noun

pə-ˈra-lə-səs

Definition of paralysis

as in disability

complete or partial loss of physical function (as motion or sensation) in a part of the body the car accident left one athlete with paralysis from the waist down

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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 paralysis Vincent Rutley will receive the Christopher Reeve Emerging Talent Award, which is presented to a rising actor living with paralysis and includes a $5,000 cash grant. — Mya Copeland, Variety, 25 Aug. 2026 Which should really send a shiver of age paralysis down every Millennial reader’s spine. — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 25 Aug. 2026 Too much choice could lead to choice paralysis, for example, advisors said. — Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 24 Aug. 2026 Clancy then ingested prescription medication, slashed her wrists and neck with a knife, and apparently threw herself head first out of a second-story window, resulting in permanent paralysis from the sternum down. — Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for paralysis

Recent Examples of Synonyms for paralysis

Noun

Sunset also offers free golf lessons to people with disabilities.

— Langston Wertz Jr, Charlotte Observer, 6 Sep. 2026
His movie was a documentary about the experience of a young blind man and his love of football, despite his disability.

— Brian Welk, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of disability

Noun

Martin County deputies said Woods, who was not injured, showed signs of impairment at the scene.

— Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 2 Sep. 2026
With the stock trading at less than half its traditional valuation, the market has priced in something close to a permanent impairment for what looks, on the evidence to date, like a temporary operational issue.

— Harvey Stober, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of impairment

Noun

Havighorst, an executive director of institutional advancement at Prairie State College, was diagnosed with a form of CMT 2 1/2 years ago called heredity neuropathy with liability to pressure palsies.

— Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 23 Aug. 2026
Other Live personalities have also opened up about various health occurrences this year, with the show’s longtime emcee and resident DJ, Déjà Vu, revealing in April that she was diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, which causes facial paralysis.

— Entertainment Weekly, Entertainment Weekly, 27 July 2026

Definition of palsy

Noun

McDaniel has shown the ability to scheme around offensive line weakness.

— Ted Nguyen, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
Their failure to receive one may be attributed to their having vague symptoms, such as a general feeling of malaise, weakness, or fluctuating muscle pain.

— Jerome Groopman, The New York Review of Books, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of weakness

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parallels

paralysis

paralytic

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“Paralysis.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paralysis. Accessed 7 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of paralysis

noun

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