1
as in disabled
affected with paralysis
special ramps for paralyzed people in wheelchairs
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in helpless
unable to act or achieve one's purpose
a seemingly paralyzed mayor sat by as the city's crime rate soared
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in crippled
to render powerless, ineffective, or unable to move
a blizzard paralyzed the city for two days
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in frightened
to deprive of courage or confidence
the school board is paralyzed by the threat of lawsuits for just about everything
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 paralyzed
Julian Roberts-Grmela,
New York Daily News,
5 June 2026
Anita Carrington is launching a nonprofit named after her son Ny'Leek Ellison, who died two months ago from complications stemming from the crash, which happened last year at 9th and Tilghman streets and left him paralyzed from the neck down.
—
Madeleine Wright,
CBS News,
3 June 2026
Victoria Edel,
PEOPLE,
16 June 2026
One young man was paralyzed from the waist down and the other was left with life-altering injuries, according to two eyewitnesses.
—
Claire Wilmot & Gisa Tunbridge,
The Dial,
12 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for paralyzed
Adjective
One of the bullets hit the teen’s spine, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down, his mother said.
—
Julian Roberts-Grmela,
New York Daily News,
5 June 2026
Anita Carrington is launching a nonprofit named after her son Ny'Leek Ellison, who died two months ago from complications stemming from the crash, which happened last year at 9th and Tilghman streets and left him paralyzed from the neck down.
—
Madeleine Wright,
CBS News,
3 June 2026
Verb
His character was paralyzed in a shooting, later becoming the first TV detective to use a wheelchair.
—
Victoria Edel,
PEOPLE,
16 June 2026
One young man was paralyzed from the waist down and the other was left with life-altering injuries, according to two eyewitnesses.
—
Claire Wilmot & Gisa Tunbridge,
The Dial,
12 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for paralyzed
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paralyzed
Adjective
-
The law that approved free enrollment for certain disabled veterans also provides for free PreCheck for Gold Star families and a $25 discount on the fee for active servicemembers and their spouses.
-
There are 32 parking spaces and 2 disabled parking spots within the plaza, Satvinder said.
Adjective
-
But when his son Naseer was born in May 2025, Ajas Ahmed had never felt so helpless.
-
Over the course of a 60-yard run, Maradona danced past opponents, escaped challenges and left English defenders helpless before beating the goalkeeper with a clinical finish.
Verb
-
This comes at a dire time for Venezuela, which is still deep in political and financial crisis – being led by an interim government after US forces captured President Nicolás Maduro earlier this year, and facing an economy crippled by years of hyperinflation.
-
Aegon, who was burned and crippled in Season 2, fled with Larys Strong (Matthew Needham), leaving his cruel, one-eyed brother Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) to sit on the Iron Throne.
Verb
-
But her outbursts frightened the children too.
-
What frightened me most was what might happen to my children.
Adjective
-
Assuming that the account in her journal is true, her father goes out and drinks himself into a ‘paralytic’ state.
-
He was injected with the three-drug mix of an anesthetic, a paralytic and potassium acetate, which stops the heart.
Adjective
-
But lingering high ticket prices combined with weaker teams might mean sparse attendance.
-
Tokyo wants to appear to be fighting a weak yen, while welcoming it in private.
Verb
-
According to the law enforcement investigation, Garcia activated her Taser seven times in a row in about a minute, with the State Patrol concluding that three to four of those activations occurred after Tomlinson was already incapacitated by the initial Taser deployments.
-
The lieutenant governor is first in line for succession if a governor is incapacitated.
Verb
-
The powerful tremor terrified Caracas residents inside their homes.
-
This is a necessary evil of the apron era, with teams terrified of going into the first- and second-apron payroll thresholds to retain their rosters.
Cite this Entry
“Paralyzed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paralyzed. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
