paralyzed 1 of 2

adjective

ˈper-ə-ˌlīzd How to pronounce paralyzed (audio)
Definition of paralyzednext
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

paralyzed

2 of 2

verb

past tense of paralyze
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
Adjective
The waves will carry the paralyzed bodies to the shore, and even dead jellyfish have been known to sting. — New Atlas, 30 June 2026 Surely there were those in attendance, and those watching, who conjured horrible thoughts of Patriots receiver Darryl Stingley being left permanently paralyzed from the chest down after taking a vicious hit from the Oakland Raiders’ Jack Tatum during a 1978 preseason game. — Steve Buckley, New York Times, 23 June 2026
Verb
Once injected with venom, the prey is paralyzed and drained of bodily fluids. — Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 July 2026 We’re paralyzed by whether a carbon-belching fossil fuel company’s right to pollute should outweigh the rest of the country’s right to clean air and a stable climate. — Max Taves, Mercury News, 3 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for paralyzed
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paralyzed
  1. disabled
  2. helpless
  3. crippled
  4. frightened
  5. paralytic
  6. weak
  7. incapacitated
  8. terrified
Adjective
  • Robinovitz recommended slime to Schiller, whose husband had a severe stroke that had left him disabled.
    — Claire Harutunian, Charlotte Observer, 13 July 2026
  • Two mothers caring for their disabled sons now face losing their homes.
    — Tara Bannow, STAT, 13 July 2026
Definition of disabled
Adjective
  • While he’s been fighting in Troy, his palace has been overrun by men who want to marry his faithful wife, Penelope (Anne Hathaway), and murder his helpless son, Telemachus (Tom Holland).
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026
  • The grandfather is seen running around a few trees, but the bison soon catches up and tosses the helpless visitor eight feet in the air.
    — Suzanne Yeo, ABC News, 13 July 2026
Definition of helpless
Verb
  • Data loss via staff cuts Widespread staff cuts starting in early 2025 across the Department of Health and Human Services, which houses the CDC, crippled much of the agency’s data collection and dissemination.
    — John Kubale, The Conversation, 8 July 2026
  • In the nation’s gravest hour, the country’s authoritarian regime has crippled an effective response, say survivors, rescue workers and former officials.
    — Terrence McCoy, Washington Post, 1 July 2026
Definition of crippled
Verb
  • At the time of writing, as the Marine Traffic map shows, tanker traffic is barely moving through the Strait, and many ships, unable to obtain insurance or with their owners frightened at the level of risk involved, are refusing to advance.
    — Ariel Cohen, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
  • But because the president has frightened Congress, Congress doesn’t raise its voice when the president puts his Albert Speer–like building project, or intends to, on Congress’s land.
    — David Frum, The Atlantic, 1 July 2026
Definition of frightened
Adjective
  • Assuming that the account in her journal is true, her father goes out and drinks himself into a ‘paralytic’ state.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 May 2026
  • He was injected with the three-drug mix of an anesthetic, a paralytic and potassium acetate, which stops the heart.
    — Robert McGreevy, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 2026
Definition of paralytic
Adjective
  • But despite growing international demand for Chinese goods, domestic consumption remains a critical weak spot in the nation’s economic development.
    — Stephanie Yang, CNN Money, 15 July 2026
  • The stock plunged 25% for its worst day on record after issuing weak preliminary results for the second quarter.
    — Alex Harring, CNBC, 15 July 2026
Definition of weak
Verb
  • Many department policies tell officers to move out of the way of a vehicle rather than shoot because of the potential harm to bystanders who could be struck by unintended gunfire or by a careening vehicle if the driver is incapacitated.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 July 2026
  • His statement included a smiling picture of the senator with his wife Elaine Chao, a tacit response to speculation online that McConnell had died or was incapacitated.
    — Mary Clare Jalonick, Fortune, 13 July 2026
Definition of incapacitated
Verb
  • Sebastian Krautz went viral on NBC10 Boston this week after admitting he was initially terrified to travel to the United States because of news about crime and safety.
    — Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 4 July 2026
  • The old him would have been terrified of going onstage, a public humiliation waiting to happen.
    — Sophie Lindberg, Kansas City Star, 3 July 2026
Definition of terrified

Browse Nearby Words

paralyze
paralyzed
paralyzes
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Paralyzed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paralyzed. Accessed 18 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on paralyzed

Nglish: Translation of paralyzed for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 17
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
child-detective
Spot the Misspelled Word July 2026 Those little red underlines can't help you now...
See All