1
as in disabled
affected with paralysis
special ramps for paralyzed people in wheelchairs
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 16 Jan. 2026
All were badly wounded; one of them, Darrell Cabey, was left permanently paralyzed and cognitively impaired.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
Colleen Cronin, Boston Herald, 22 Jan. 2026
The outage partially paralyzed Hollywood on Thursday, with people resorting to calling and texting as important emails were not going through.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 22 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for paralyzed
Adjective
The Gomez and Henrich situations In 1988, Gomez suffered a broken neck and was instantly paralyzed while performing a Yurchenko vault during the World Sports Fair in Japan.
—Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 16 Jan. 2026
All were badly wounded; one of them, Darrell Cabey, was left permanently paralyzed and cognitively impaired.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
Verb
The suicide attempt left Clancy paralyzed.
—Colleen Cronin, Boston Herald, 22 Jan. 2026
The outage partially paralyzed Hollywood on Thursday, with people resorting to calling and texting as important emails were not going through.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 22 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for paralyzed
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paralyzed
Adjective
-
Users who register as younger than 13 will automatically get a Cabined Account that requires parental consent via email and voice/text chat, spending money and custom display names are disabled unless a parent provides consent.—
Katie Wiseman,
IndyStar,
4 Feb. 2026
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These individuals are often left destitute, disabled, and in chronic pain from medically unnecessary procedures.—
Elizabeth Heck,
New York Daily News,
4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Both Tony and Dick are helpless children of the American Dream — one borne of the system, the other the boss’s literal son, each at the mercy of forces far greater than himself.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
5 Feb. 2026
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Footage then showed McCray carrying her, helpless and disoriented, to a laundry room on Connecticut Street.—
Angie DiMichele,
Sun Sentinel,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In 2021, a record-shattering outbreak of cold in Texas crippled the state’s electric grid, a meltdown blamed in large part on failures in its gas infrastructure.—
Kristi Swartz,
AJC.com,
26 Jan. 2026
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Widespread power outages, dilapidated equipment, and a lack of spare parts from absent foreign firms crippled operations.—
Scott Montgomery,
Forbes.com,
25 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Why was Caesar Augustus frightened of Ovid?—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
31 Jan. 2026
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Mariana, for example, wrote about children being frightened by school shootings.—
Kayla Huynh,
jsonline.com,
16 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The paralytic effect typically lasts for four to six minutes.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
30 Jan. 2026
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As the New York Post reported, Malinda Cook, a nurse anesthetist at Virginia Commonwealth University Health, encouraged medical professionals to drug ICE agents with paralytic meds in a series of TikTok videos.—
Boston Herald editorial staff,
Boston Herald,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Trump has directed his ire toward the Department of Labor agency ever since former Commissioner Erika McEntarfer authorized the release of a weak jobs report last summer.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
31 Jan. 2026
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Procedures harden, decision paths lengthen, and people wait for permission rather than acting on weak signals from the environment.—
Mark Murphy,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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This is Nissan’s premiere safety tech system, taking over braking and steering like an extra-smart cruise control, or if the driver is impaired or incapacitated.—
Kristin Shaw,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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Prior to its passage, nine presidents were at least temporarily incapacitated by health issues and six died, according to Britannica, creating questions around interim leadership and transfer of power.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
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So much of it has become normalized for me, but if a weekend skier was up there, I’d be terrified for them.—
Zak Keefer,
New York Times,
2 Feb. 2026
-
Kids who were terrified of snakes stepped a little closer.—
Linda Mcintosh,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
1 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Paralyzed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paralyzed. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.
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