Showing results for "incapacitated"

• past tense form of incapacitate.
• past participle of incapacitate.

incapacitated

American  

[in-kuh-pas-i-tey-tid] / ˌɪn kəˈpæs ɪˌteɪ tɪd /

adjective

1. deprived of strength or ability; made incapable or nonfunctional.

   She’ll be incapacitated for several weeks after the surgery.

   Those stealing fuel from incapacitated tanker trucks risk being killed by explosions.

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Etymology

Origin of incapacitated

First recorded in 1795–1805; incapacitate + -ed ²

Explanation

If you’ve been sick with the flu for a week, barely able to get out of bed, then you’ve got an idea of what it’s like to be incapacitated. Incapacitated means "empty of strength," "helpless," or "powerless." Incapacitated is an adjective that describes a state where you don’t have the capacity, or ability, to accomplish something. When someone becomes incapacitated, illness or injury is usually to blame. Incapacitated can also mean "ineligible." For instance, if you are too old to join the army, then your age makes you incapacitated from serving in the army.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

incapacitated

Ford’s side denied he was incapacitated and refused a cognitive test, the court documents say.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

If there’s an emergency and a minor’s legal parents are incapacitated or killed, most rules default to direct blood relationships — grandparents, aunts and uncles, and so forth down the line.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026

They must have hoped the photos would dispel conspiracy theories that he’s dead, or at least incapacitated.

From Salon ● Aug. 3, 2026

If the parent alienator is incapacitated or dies, the sibling who was aligning with the parent can start to feel differently.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026

But if he's that incapacitated, how has he managed to stay alive?

From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins