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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of paralyzed
Mark Travers, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025
She was shot in the back and chest, leaving her paralyzed from the waist down.
—Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 18 Feb. 2025
Silas Morgan, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 Mar. 2025
Garrett, who was paralyzed as a result of the crash, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, fleeing to elude high speed (serious bodily injury or death), battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting an officer with violence and criminal mischief.
—Angel Saunders, People.com, 29 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for paralyzed
Adjective
This refers to feeling emotionally stuck or paralyzed, unable to respond constructively.
—Mark Travers, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025
She was shot in the back and chest, leaving her paralyzed from the waist down.
—Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 18 Feb. 2025
Verb
The daughter, Georgette Smith, was paralyzed in the shooting and died after winning a court order to remove her ventilator.
—Silas Morgan, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 Mar. 2025
Garrett, who was paralyzed as a result of the crash, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, fleeing to elude high speed (serious bodily injury or death), battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting an officer with violence and criminal mischief.
—Angel Saunders, People.com, 29 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for paralyzed
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paralyzed
Adjective
-
Studies have found that the closures of local branches by larger and smaller banks across the U.S. have a disproportionate negative effect on those living in the country's rural areas, disabled people, individuals on low-income, and racially diverse communities.—
John W. Dean,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Apr. 2025
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But Bode has also worked to extend that treatment to her disabled peers, particularly during awards and festival season, where accessibility isn’t consistent across events or shows.—
Abbey White,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Students who feel lost, parents who feel helpless and households filled with tension rather than encouragement.—
Claudia Nachtigal,
Baltimore Sun,
10 Apr. 2025
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Undermine growth and development so people feel stuck and helpless.—
Csaba Toth,
Forbes.com,
8 Apr. 2025
Verb
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His vengeance included turning Michigan State in for NCAA violations, leading to probation that crippled the program until the late 1970s.—
Joe Rexrode,
The Athletic,
31 Dec. 2024
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As the city litigated and revised the environmental impact report, two devastating storms in December 2023 and February 2024 — the same series that crippled San Diego’s Ocean Beach Pier — substantially damaged the wharf.—
Noah Haggerty,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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An additional 200,000 paralytic polio cases per year if programs are permanently ceased.—
Avery Lotz,
Axios,
3 Mar. 2025
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In addition to performance anxiety, my rigid musical education had left me with an almost paralytic inability to improvise or play by ear.—
Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim,
New York Times,
11 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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In contrast, the founders of the United States, fearful of tyranny, created a weak federal government that could barely impose taxes, let alone establish a national theater.—
Joanna Dee Das,
The Conversation,
4 Apr. 2025
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However, a weaker dollar, resulting from tariffs and other policies, makes that harder for exporters.—
Brendan Coffey,
Sportico.com,
4 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Hours before that performance, as Ivy has a diva moment and Karen is incapacitated in a reformatting of the series’ poisoning plot line, Bombshell’s assistant director, Chloe (Bella Coppola), suddenly has to step up to play Marilyn, winning the love of the internet.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
11 Apr. 2025
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Successful organizing includes documenting evidence of government abuses, sharing information broadly, and building administrative systems rather than relying on a few leaders who may be assassinated or otherwise incapacitated.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
10 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The movie sees the revival of arch-villain Feathers McGraw, who terrified kids in 1993’s The Wrong Trousers.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
23 Dec. 2024
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My Hugo would chase it and bark at it, or he'd be terrified.—
Benedict Cosgrove,
Newsweek,
20 Dec. 2024
Verb
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But the militants, while greatly weakened, have repeatedly regrouped, often after Israeli forces withdraw from areas.—
Wafaa Shurafa,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Jan. 2025
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Those at high-risk for listeria infection are newborns, those who are pregnant, have weakened immune systems, and those aged 65 or older.—
Mike Snider,
USA TODAY,
3 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Paralyzed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paralyzed. Accessed 19 Apr. 2025.
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