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
Christy Gutowski, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2025
As the novel virus ravaged the city and paralyzed employment opportunities, the now 29-year-old decided to use her time during lockdown to explore a side hustle as an influencer on TikTok.
—Adrianna Rodriguez, USA Today, 19 Aug. 2025
Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 29 Aug. 2025
Herbstreit is particularly close with Corso, notably helping him in recent years following his 2009 stroke, which left him partially paralyzed.
—Toni Fitzgerald, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for paralyzed
Adjective
That information led the Tribune to a relative, from the Chicago area, who provided the name of a paralyzed uncle who had been injured during WWII.
—Christy Gutowski, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2025
As the novel virus ravaged the city and paralyzed employment opportunities, the now 29-year-old decided to use her time during lockdown to explore a side hustle as an influencer on TikTok.
—Adrianna Rodriguez, USA Today, 19 Aug. 2025
Verb
Former President Barack Obama urged Americans not to be paralyzed in the wake of another mass shooting this week, which killed two children and injured at least 17 others after an assailant attacked a Catholic Church in Minneapolis.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 29 Aug. 2025
Herbstreit is particularly close with Corso, notably helping him in recent years following his 2009 stroke, which left him partially paralyzed.
—Toni Fitzgerald, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for paralyzed
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paralyzed
Adjective
-
Jeanette Dalton, who taught emotionally-disabled students at PCES for 35 years, echoed Nusbaum’s sentiment.—
IndyStar,
IndyStar,
3 Sep. 2025
-
These payments apply to low-income and disabled Americans.—
Suzanne Blake,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
This burden of additional responsibilities and emotional labor with less resources lead many women to feel helpless, leaving divorce as the only escape.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
-
The sunbathers of sleepy Amity Bay are helpless against the unexpected great white shark that hunts their coasts; Spielberg’s talent for suspense, effective horror shocks, and ingenious reinvention of the classic animal-attack movie remain as impressive as ever.—
Christina Newland,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Tony and Ziva race to the scene, finding the place crippled by a power outage followed by a ransom request for 115 million Euros.—
Matt Webb Mitovich,
TVLine,
4 Sep. 2025
-
The last time active-duty military was sent to Chicago against the wishes of local officials was on July 4, 1894, according to the archives of the Chicago Tribune, when a labor dispute at a Pullman factory crippled the nation’s rail industry and resulted in days of rioting.—
Andy Rose,
CNN Money,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Family pets, especially dogs, are frightened by the noise and will hide or try to run away.—
Phil Diehl,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 Aug. 2025
-
In the first Nobody, Odenkirk’s Hutch has to reignite the sleeping assassin within himself after his family was frightened by a botched home invasion.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
For the past decade, Sughra Ayaz has traveled door to door in southeastern Pakistan, pleading with parents to allow children to be vaccinated against polio as part of a global campaign to wipe out the paralytic disease.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
5 Aug. 2025
-
One primary way is to use the chip to restore function to those with paralytic conditions; the chip seeks to relay patients’ brain signals to control computer systems and robotic arms.—
Forbes.com,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
Adjective
-
The Royals made a lot of weak contact, which resulted in a mix of groundouts.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Last week, a weaker-than-expected jobs report added to expectations of an imminent rate cut by the central bank.—
Chloe Taylor,
CNBC,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The Justice Department in its June 2024 report on problems with policing in Phoenix found that police delayed medical assistance to people who appeared to be incapacitated as a result of the use of force by officers and used unreasonable force on people who had already been wounded by officers.—
Elena Santa Cruz,
AZCentral.com,
3 Sep. 2025
-
In other circumstances, this could have been the story of an ambitious young number one who finds himself in the big chair when his captain is incapacitated, forced to confront his inner demons when an unknown — but extremely powerful — enemy threatens to destroy the Farragut.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
14 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
We might be terrified of it and not want to recognize our own mortality.—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
5 Sep. 2025
-
The school attack, which terrified students and parents, capped a violent spree that left at least three people dead and more than a dozen others wounded across the city.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
4 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Paralyzed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paralyzed. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share