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 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 Medications used in lethal injections usually act in three steps -- first sedating the individual, then paralyzing them, before ending important bodily functions necessary for life. — Allen Chang, ABC News, 1 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 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 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 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • Smit Machchhar with the cockpit's crash axe, incapacitating him and causing the aircraft to plummet before passengers on board seized control of the plane.
    — Michael Sinkewicz , Elizabeth Pritchett, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of incapacitating
Verb
  • Though privacy concerns around these agents’ access may be terrifying in their own right, for now the utopian vision seems to be winning.
    — Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Still, Douglas is unflinching in the book about how physically abusive and terrifying his dad was to him and his brother.
    — Sean Woods, Rolling Stone, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of terrifying
Verb
  • Fighting escalated late last month, undermining the November 2022 peace agreement that ended a devastating two-year war.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Private equity firms also sometimes own both physician staffing firms and Independent Dispute Resolution entities, creating a conflict of interest and undermining the law's fairness.
    — Anna Schecter, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of undermining
Verb
  • It’s long been intimidating for immigrants who suffered abuse to call 911, regardless of who was in the White House.
    — Melissa Sanchez, ProPublica, 14 Oct. 2026
  • And while cracking open an iPod will never not be intimidating, at least the Sprout doesn’t require any soldering.
    — Terrence O'Brien, The Verge, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of intimidating
Verb
  • The next day, Ukrainian drones hit the company's major data center in the Kaluga region, southwest of Moscow, disabling part of the facility, Yandex said.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 12 Oct. 2026
  • The next day, Ukrainian drones hit the company’s major data center in the Kaluga region, southwest of Moscow, disabling part of the facilty, Yandex said.
    — Susie Blann, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of disabling
Verb
  • Halloween Horror Nights are still scaring visitors to Universal Studios Hollywood, but the park is already making holiday plans.
    — Tom Tapp, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2026
  • More than anything, this adaptation feels scared of being too unlikable or scaring anyone too much.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 6 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 16 Oct. 2026.

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