incapacitated

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adjective

in·​ca·​pac·​i·​tat·​ed ˌin-kə-ˈpa-sə-ˌtā-təd 

: deprived of capacity or natural power : made incapable of or unfit for normal functioning

… can care for cats while the owners are away or are temporarily incapacitated and unable to care for their pets.

—Karen Commings

… when an incapacitated patient hasn't left a living will or designated someone to make his or her medical decisions, families agree on what to do anyway in about two-thirds of the cases …

—Jeff Chu et al.

Eventually, he [Washington Roebling] became bedridden, in a room that overlooked the bridge under construction, with Emily effectively serving as assistant engineer and intermediary between the incapacitated chief engineer and his lieutenants on the construction site.

—Henry Petroski

incapacitated

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past tense and past participle of incapacitate

Examples of incapacitated in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Since at least the 1970s and 1980s, there have been incidents of gang rape of intoxicated, incapacitated women in fraternity houses. — Richard Hall, Time, 7 Oct. 2026

The case has renewed debate over a New York law that critics say can hinder prosecution when people become incapacitated after voluntarily using alcohol or drugs. — Leah Willingham, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2026

The film, directed by Michael Showalter, stars Dakota Johnson as a writer hired to ghostwrite a book series by an incapacitated author (Anne Hathaway). — Jake Coyle, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2026

You have not been declared by a court exercising probate jurisdiction to be either totally mentally incapacitated or partially mentally incapacitated without the right to vote. — Briauna Brown, CBS News, 28 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1769, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for incapacitated

• ameliorated
• decontaminated
• deoxygenated
• deteriorated
• differentiated
• disarticulated
• excommunicated
• individuated
• misappropriated
• monounsaturated
• multinucleated
• nonaffiliated