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
Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 May 2026
While the idea of being paralyzed can sound alarming, the underlying mechanism is actually a normal part of sleep for nearly everyone.
—Daryl Austin, USA Today, 17 May 2026
Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 6 June 2026
Hollywood on a bad day is paralyzed, absolutely paralyzed, and incapable of making new decisions.
—Benjamin Vanhoose, PEOPLE, 5 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for paralyzed
Adjective
Three All Saints Episcopal School students lured a fourth student to participate in a TikTok challenge this month that became a catastrophic assault, leaving the boy unconscious for several minutes, temporarily paralyzed and with fractured vertebrae, according to a lawsuit filed this week.
—Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 May 2026
While the idea of being paralyzed can sound alarming, the underlying mechanism is actually a normal part of sleep for nearly everyone.
—Daryl Austin, USA Today, 17 May 2026
Verb
Hello Robot has worked with Henry Evans, who is paralyzed and cannot speak.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 6 June 2026
Hollywood on a bad day is paralyzed, absolutely paralyzed, and incapable of making new decisions.
—Benjamin Vanhoose, PEOPLE, 5 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for paralyzed
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paralyzed
Adjective
-
Bidding is limited to firms owned by disabled veterans.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 June 2026
-
Across-the-board benefit cuts would significantly impact retirees, disabled workers and survivors, especially amid rising living costs.—
Aimee Picchi,
CBS News,
9 June 2026
Adjective
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After having put Brazil ahead minutes earlier, Richarlison popped a cross from Vinícius Júnior into the air, spun, and struck a spectacular acrobatic volley past Serbia’s helpless goalkeeper.—
Gitanjali Roy,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
9 June 2026
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Sharks often become bycatch – entangled in fishing nets not intended for them, they are rendered helpless and face certain death.—
Charlotte Reck,
CNN Money,
9 June 2026
Verb
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The protest largely crippled the country’s center, with highways closed and public transportation halted by the massive crowds in both Jerusalem and the Tel Aviv metro area.—
Melanie Lidman,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
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Every team has injuries, but the Packers’ laundry list crippled a team that, when largely healthy, was a legitimate Super Bowl contender.—
Matt Schneidman,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
Verb
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The victim accelerated to escape, but the suspect continued to follow her, which frightened her.—
Peter D'Oench,
CBS News,
4 June 2026
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The Lord in your convent frightened me, Jesus with his bloody palms and gaping mouth, eyes rolled back in terror.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 May 2026
Adjective
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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
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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
Adjective
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But his father contracted pneumonia in 2011, and after two decades in prison, his body was too weak to fight it.—
Yumi Asada,
CNN Money,
13 June 2026
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That gap is where signal blindness, misalignment, bottlenecks, execution delays and weak learning loops quietly convert external change into our fragilities.—
Christopher Washington,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
Verb
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The lieutenant governor is first in line for succession if a governor is incapacitated.—
Ben Paviour,
Sacbee.com,
11 June 2026
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For example, if mom's alive but incapacitated, the heir legally owns nothing and has zero rights to manage the house.—
Medora Lee,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
The comedian was terrified after being fired from NewsRadio.—
Derek Lawrence,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 June 2026
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And there are a lot of things to be very rightly and understandably terrified of right now, and uncertainty about what's to come.—
Nathan Diller,
USA Today,
7 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Paralyzed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paralyzed. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
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