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 In 2007, a car accident severed his spinal cord, paralyzing him from the waist down. — Maribeth Romslo, Rolling Stone, 1 Nov. 2026 With a combined readership of 75 million at their peak, Hopper and Parsons wielded extraordinary influence — and instilled paralyzing fear. — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 27 Oct. 2026 The attacks on Yandex caused unprecedented disruptions, paralyzing payments, online orders, taxi rides and access to personal data. — ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026 The suddenness of it all was terrifying, even paralyzing, and yet, at the same time, oddly relieving. — Andrew Lipstein, New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2026 The attacks and the air raid alerts that accompany them have severely disrupted life in the city, forcing millions to constantly seek shelter and paralyzing the capital’s businesses and transport networks. — Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 5 Oct. 2026 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 Responsible deployment does not require paralyzing every use case. — Stephen Messer, Fortune, 15 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paralyzing
  1. crippling
  2. frightening
  3. incapacitating
  4. terrifying
  5. undermining
  6. intimidating
  7. disabling
  8. scaring
Verb
  • The flip side is that the state suffers crippling deficits when the market tanks, as during the Global Financial Crisis.
    — Jason Ma, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2026
  • In the days after the ceasefire broke down, the Houthis announced a blockade on Saudi shipping, and launched attacks crippling Saudi Arabia’s oil export infrastructure.
    — Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of crippling
Verb
  • For Cox and Walker, the challenge was to introduce horror-film conventions without frightening the franchise’s youngest viewers.
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2026
  • 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
Definition of frightening
Verb
  • The driver, according to the crash report, suffered incapacitating injuries.
    — Post-Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Fragments of the powerhouse author’s path to her incapacitating accident then unfold through Lowen’s POV, starting with Verity’s steamy first encounter with Jeremy.
    — Fawnia Soo Hoo, Allure, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of incapacitating
Verb
  • The simple act of a child pedaling down empty hotel hallways on a Big Wheel builds anticipation, terrifying us with what may be around each corner.
    — Radhika Seth, Vogue, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Now a ruthless Emperor, Paul must face the consequences of his reign as old allies return, terrifying new threats emerge, and betrayal lurks in every shadow.
    — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of terrifying
Verb
  • At the time of the last catastrophe, a convulsive shift in media consumption began undermining the value of the legacy distribution scheme, which in turn led to grave uncertainties related to revenue sharing.
    — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 6 Nov. 2026
  • More fundamentally, Vietnam showed that misadventures abroad could boomerang, weakening American democracy and societal cohesion and, ultimately, undermining the country’s international standing.
    — David Sacks, Foreign Affairs, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of undermining
Verb
  • The sidewalks of Philadelphia were packed — not with an intimidating crowd of protesters, but with people holding Israeli flags and waiting in line for hours to order a plate of hummus or a bowl of matzah ball soup.
    — Jessica Tzikas, Sun Sentinel, 11 Nov. 2026
  • He was also prohibited from intimidating or retaliating against potential witnesses.
    — Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 2026
Definition of intimidating
Verb
  • The officer positioned themself ahead of the vehicle and deployed tire deflation devices, disabling the vehicle’s front driver’s-side tire, according to police.
    — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 30 Oct. 2026
  • In a historic settlement with 48 states in August, Meta agreed to pay up to $18 billion and make significant changes to its apps for young users including setting time limits, disabling some filters and hiding like counts.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of disabling
Verb
  • His campaign strategy in the days before the election seemed to rely on scaring the Israeli public into voting for him.
    — Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2026
  • The white whale of American politics seemed in reach until the president spent two years scaring it away.
    — Gabe Fleisher, Washington Post, 26 Oct. 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 13 Nov. 2026.

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