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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 Since then, the uniquely Chicago gatherings have become massive, paralyzing traffic on Michigan Avenue and DuSable Lake Shore Drive. — Allison Kiehl, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026 The Duxbury mom does not dispute the killings at their home in January 2023, which preceded a paralyzing suicide attempt from a second-floor window. — Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 5 Sep. 2026 National Guardsmen marched in the paralyzing heat, which, along with the shadows cast by a revolving sculpture in the courtyard, suggested the eerie calm before the gunfight in a Western. — Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 20 Aug. 2026 Responsible deployment does not require paralyzing every use case. — Stephen Messer, Fortune, 15 Aug. 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paralyzing
  1. crippling
  2. frightening
  3. incapacitating
  4. terrifying
  5. undermining
  6. intimidating
  7. disabling
  8. scaring
Verb
  • Then, after becoming Trojans AD in August 2010, he was tasked with moving the athletic department past crippling NCAA sanctions.
    — The Athletic College Football Staff, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026
  • And the high pay they’re being offered as a lure is crippling the economy.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 15 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
  • The video shows the Taser not incapacitating her and the woman walking quickly toward the officers while waving the knives in front of her.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 31 Aug. 2026
  • All that before disorienting and incapacitating a potential school shooter in about a minute.
    — Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of incapacitating
Verb
  • One night, Bridget decides to leave after thoroughly terrifying her husband with an ax.
    — Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 19 Sep. 2026
  • For Thomas, unpacking what went wrong goes well beyond the headless bodies, terrifying phone calls and dead ends.
    — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of terrifying
Verb
  • For undermining traditional religious authority, he was eventually sentenced to death.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Partying, drinking, Greek life, sports, and other forms of college life always risked undermining the educational project—and vice versa.
    — Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of undermining
Verb
  • Central Connecticut State University President Zulma Toro resigned Wednesday following an investigation into a complaint alleging the workplace culture under her leadership was oppressive, bullying and intimidating.
    — Livi Stanford, Hartford Courant, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Speaking of intimidating travel, the Rams made a bold choice in Week 1 to travel very shortly before the game to Australia and play the 49ers.
    — OutKick, FOXNews.com, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of intimidating
Verb
  • When Urich was young, his father suffered a disabling stroke; Netanyahu became a father figure to him.
    — Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Special Needs Plans are for people with certain chronic or disabling conditions, as well as those who are eligible for both Medicare and Medi-Cal and people who live in nursing homes or require the same level of care.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of disabling
Verb
  • Since reintroducing Mexican wolves in 1998, the Fish and Wildlife Service has employed some programs to help manage livestock-wolf conflict, like using range-riders to monitor and deter wolves and scaring them off using non-lethal methods.
    — Sarah Henry, AZCentral.com, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Few griz/hunter interactions ever move beyond the scaring stage.
    — Ron Spomer, Outdoor Life, 19 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 25 Sep. 2026.

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