paralysis
Americannoun
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paralyses
plural
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Pathology.
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a loss or impairment of voluntary movement in a body part, caused by injury or disease of the nerves, brain, or spinal cord.
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a disease characterized by this, especially palsy.
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a state of helpless stoppage, inactivity, or inability to act.
The strike caused a paralysis of all shipping.
noun
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pathol
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impairment or loss of voluntary muscle function or of sensation ( sensory paralysis ) in a part or area of the body, usually caused by a lesion or disorder of the muscles or the nerves supplying them
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a disease characterized by such impairment or loss; palsy
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cessation or impairment of activity
paralysis of industry by strikes
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of paralysis
before 1150; < Latin < Greek parálysis, equivalent to paraly-, var stem of paralȳ́ein to loosen (i.e., disable) on one side ( para- para- 1 + lȳ́ein to loosen) + -sis -sis; replacing Middle English paralisi ( e ) < Old French < Latin, as above; replacing late Old English paralisin (accusative) < Latin, as above; cf. palsy 1
Compare meaning
How does paralysis compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Paralysis is the inability to move part of your body. It's actually fairly common for people to have short periods of paralysis while they sleep. Paralysis is the experience of being paralyzed, or unable to move part or all of your body. There are medical conditions that can cause paralysis. You can also use paralysis to describe the inability to act, like the paralysis of a city during a big snowstorm, or the paralysis of the school play's star, suddenly struck with stage fright.
Vocabulary lists containing paralysis
Out of the Dust
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National Nurses Week: Medical Branches and Conditions
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"Siberian Survivors" and "Tigers in the Wild"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
A-Baki, a former Ecuadoran trade minister, acknowledged that paralysis of the UN's top body, the Security Council, was an issue but stressed "they should be working together for the benefit of everyone."
From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026
The audience that allowed them to monetize their creations in the first place had now led to creative paralysis.
From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026
Acknowledging those concerns can’t become an argument for paralysis, particularly as developers increasingly rely on dedicated clean-energy generation, storage, and power-purchase agreements to reduce pressure on the grid.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
Most infections are asymptomatic, but about one in 100 involve neuroinvasive disease: meningitis, encephalitis or paralysis.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
Shortly after eating foliage coated with this toxin the larva suffers paralysis, stops feeding, and soon dies.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
He says there are visible signs that the disease paralyses the sea urchin's spines and tiny feet.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2023
Sometimes these compounds act as deterrents: nicotine, for example, is produced by some plants and paralyses insects, whereas caffeine suppresses their appetite.
From Scientific American ● Jun. 24, 2020
Nothing proved more vividly the maxim that technology renders civilisation fragile than the great traffic paralyses of the late seventies.
From Slate ● Apr. 29, 2019
Asked if she feared for her life, she said: “No. Fear paralyses people. And if you want changes, you should overcome yourself.”
From Reuters ● Aug. 16, 2018
Snake venom paralyses the muscles of respiration, and the patient ceases to breathe.
From Essays In Pastoral Medicine by Austin ?Malley
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
