crippled
Americanadjective
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Offensive.
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relating to a person who is partially or totally unable to use one or more limbs.
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relating to a person who is disabled or impaired in any way.
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not operating or performing at the customary level; impaired; weakened.
Significant progress has been made in repairing the crippled power plant.
A telecommunications firm has signed a deal to get their crippled company back in business.
Sensitive Note
Why is crippled offensive? See cripple ( def. ).
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of crippled
First recorded in 1300–50; cripple ( def. ) (verb) + -ed 2 ( def. )
Explanation
When something is crippled, it's not working properly. Your bike might be crippled by the broken front brake that won't let the wheel turn freely. You can used the adjective crippled to talk about a broken machine or a process that's not working the way it should. It was once commonly used to describe a physically disabled person, but this has become an offensive term and should be avoided. The word crippled comes from the Old English crypel, which is related to cryppan, "to crook or to bend."
Vocabulary lists containing crippled
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.
“Their emails start out, ‘You’re my last hope of not being a crippled, miserable, dead person,’ ” he said.
From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026
“We were promised Black jobs, Black dollars and an economic boost to Crenshaw, but businesses have been crippled one by one,” Shorter said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
The Daily Mail carries an exclusive on "fictitious" child maintenance charges that have left some parents "financially crippled".
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
Disruptions can come out of the blue: a ransomware attack crippled one Treasury dealer in 2023.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
Many Americans did not even know President Roosevelt was crippled by polio.
From "Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two" by Joseph Bruchac
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