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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Recent Examples of paralysis
His risible evocations of this brand of male psyche exposes emotional paralysis like a raw nerve.
—
Daniel Felsenthal, Pitchfork, 7 Apr. 2026
When the future feels uncertain, paralysis can look like procrastination.
—Ali Kaufman, Sun Sentinel, 7 Apr. 2026
At the same time, there are ongoing, if uneven, efforts to reckon with this paralysis.
—Jasmin Lilian Diab, The Conversation, 5 Apr. 2026
If for some reason a coral snake does gnaw on you, its venom can cause paralysis.
—Nicole Villalpando, Austin American Statesman, 30 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for paralysis
Daniel Felsenthal, Pitchfork, 7 Apr. 2026
When the future feels uncertain, paralysis can look like procrastination.
—Ali Kaufman, Sun Sentinel, 7 Apr. 2026
At the same time, there are ongoing, if uneven, efforts to reckon with this paralysis.
—Jasmin Lilian Diab, The Conversation, 5 Apr. 2026
If for some reason a coral snake does gnaw on you, its venom can cause paralysis.
—Nicole Villalpando, Austin American Statesman, 30 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for paralysis
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paralysis
Noun
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Children with moderate to severe disabilities cannot be accommodated.—
Howard Blume,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Apr. 2026
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In special education, the contract establishes a 20-to-1 staffing ratio for certain teachers working with students with disabilities and includes stronger enforcement of class size limits, with higher penalties for violations, union leaders said.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Spears, who was the sole occupant of the vehicle, showed signs of impairment and underwent field sobriety tests, CHP said.—
Shafiq Najib,
ABC News,
12 Apr. 2026
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If a woman named Mary Brown can’t solve a captcha, visual impairment is a statistically likely reason.—
Amanda Gefter,
Quanta Magazine,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Since receiving her diagnosis, Weedman’s Bell’s palsy has been written into her characters on Hacks, Abbot Elementary and Sirens.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
PEOPLE,
9 Apr. 2026
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Sunshine died March 15 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, after a battle with progressive supranuclear palsy, a family spokesperson announced.—
Mike Barnes,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Let’s examine their specs, strengths, weaknesses and differences, along with how Edmunds’ car experts rated them overall and in specific categories.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 Apr. 2026
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Their weaknesses could be balanced with machine strengths.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
New Yorker,
15 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Paralysis.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paralysis. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
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