paralyzing

verb

present participle of paralyze
1
as in crippling
to render powerless, ineffective, or unable to move a blizzard paralyzed the city for two days

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in frightening
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 paralyzing The tropical storm hit Japan days after Typhoon Dolphin created havoc in parts of southern Japan, paralyzing traffic and sending hundreds to take shelter. — ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026 Gripped by a paralyzing fear for the fate of her future children, Naama returns to the same monument where the infidelity took place; there, her parents appear before her. — Katie Campione, Deadline, 4 Aug. 2026 But as anyone who’s stared at a wall of swatches well knows, choosing the right shade can feel paralyzing. — Kelly Dawson, Architectural Digest, 31 July 2026 The next afternoon, in Central Park, a 15-year-old boy named Shavod Jones shot McDonald three times, severing his spinal cord and paralyzing him from the neck down. — Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 31 July 2026 But his mental anguish is upsetting the balance of his cross-species DNA, first with paralyzing headaches and gradually with an internal battle as his arachnid side starts overpowering his human side. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 28 July 2026 Airpower should be assessed by the strategic effects it is tasked to achieve—disrupting enemy systems, paralyzing command, destroying key capabilities, etc. — David A. Deptula, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026 With endless criteria, knowing exactly what to ask for from a pair of jean shorts is paralyzing. — Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 25 June 2026 His grief was crushing, paralyzing, calamitous. — Lois K. Solomon, Sun Sentinel, 22 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paralyzing
  1. crippling
  2. frightening
  3. incapacitating
  4. terrifying
  5. undermining
  6. intimidating
  7. disabling
  8. scaring
Verb
  • And the high pay they’re being offered as a lure is crippling the economy.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Trump claims the United States has opened the strait to all commercial ships other than those from Iran, crippling Iran's economy because of its reliance on oil exports.
    — Joey Garrison, USA Today, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of crippling
Verb
  • Powell tried to open the stall door, and then began fondling himself, frightening the 11-year-old, who tried to leave, but Powell blocked him from getting out.
    — Todd Feurer, CBS News, 6 June 2026
  • This war has been a disaster for them, frightening away foreign investors, tourists and talent and burdening them with a future of huge new defense bills to deter Iran after the United States is gone.
    — Thomas L. Friedman, Mercury News, 15 May 2026
Definition of frightening
Verb
  • Some people with severe cases – with a high fever or incapacitating diarrhea that is bloody – may need to get care at a hospital.
    — Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The driver hits Leatherface in the head with a wrench, incapacitating him long enough for the driver to run away and Sally to jump into the cab of a passing pickup truck.
    — Jordana Rosenfeld, Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 July 2026
Definition of incapacitating
Verb
  • Spotify is terrifying much of the podcast industry with a tiny little widget.
    — Max Tani, semafor.com, 9 Aug. 2026
  • What for decades seemed a hypothetical problem to be solved at some later date is suddenly a concrete, terrifying one for today.
    — Stephen Witt, New Yorker, 30 July 2026
Definition of terrifying
Verb
  • Major European and other confederations accuse Infantino of deception, undermining integrity.
    — Simon Chadwick, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
  • But the coal terminal would take us in the wrong direction, undermining decades of advocacy and millions of dollars of state investment.
    — Veronica Eady, Mercury News, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of undermining
Verb
  • If retirement investing feels intimidating, SoFi Invest strips out a lot of the friction.
    — Andreina Rodriguez, CNBC, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Leadership roles or intimidating pivots that require you to have courage are no exception.
    — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of intimidating
Verb
  • Its 2026 defense drills include disabling the internet to test civil resilience and practicing drone warfare strategies inspired by Ukraine.
    — Ann Scott Tyson, Christian Science Monitor, 11 Aug. 2026
  • This is a mass disabling event, concentrated in working-age people and skewed female, behaving exactly as post-viral illness always has.
    — Keely Cat-Wells, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of disabling
Verb
  • Be a menace to people in the community, driving his boat 70 to 80 miles per hour, driving around scaring the heck out of people, taking people's lives.
    — Lauren Victory, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Notably, the research shows that pumas contribute most to decreased deer-vehicle collisions by scaring their prey, and not killing them, highlights Mark Elbroch, director of the Puma Program for Panthera and also a study co-author.
    — Margherita Bassi, Popular Science, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of scaring

Browse Nearby Words

paralyzes
paralyzing
paramedic
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Cite this Entry

“Paralyzing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paralyzing. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of paralyzing for Spanish Speakers

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