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

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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
  • 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
  • An explosion tore through the Apollo 13 service module, crippling the spacecraft and venting the crew’s oxygen supply into space.
    — Robert Pearlman, ArsTechnica, 3 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • One night, Bridget decides to leave after thoroughly terrifying her husband with an ax.
    — Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of terrifying
Verb
  • Hamas has denied trying to carry out attacks or rebuild its arsenal and accuses Israel of undermining the Gaza peace deal.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Here’s how to make that long game work in your favor—and how to recognize and quit all of the habits that might be undermining your skin along the way.
    — Elizabeth Siegel, Allure, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of undermining
Verb
  • Others have more broad statutes prohibiting any kind of intimidating behavior.
    — Danielle Friedman, The Conversation, 8 Oct. 2026
  • That would be in 51,521-seat Rice-Eccles Stadium, which stands an intimidating 4,637 feet above sea level in scenic Salt Lake City.
    — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of intimidating
Verb
  • That makes the technology particularly interesting for counter-drone missions, where disabling an aircraft’s sensors or critical components may be sufficient to bring it down.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2026
  • When Urich was young, his father suffered a disabling stroke; Netanyahu became a father figure to him.
    — Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of disabling
Verb
  • Although the pace of home sales have remained largely unchanged this year compared to last year, according to NAR data through August, there are some signs that higher mortgage rates have started scaring off some buyers.
    — Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2026
  • For their final lesson, a volunteer — who isn't Woodside or Priest — traps the raccoons in cages, scaring them enough to encourage them to avoid traps and humans.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 21 Sep. 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 9 Oct. 2026.

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