crippled
Americanadjective
-
Offensive.
-
relating to a person who is partially or totally unable to use one or more limbs.
-
relating to a person who is disabled or impaired in any way.
-
-
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.
Rippled with fat, extra thick rib-eye steaks end up with charred crusts after an initial, intense stovetop sear, and buttery, tender centers after cooking through in a low oven.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 17, 2023
Solving the Riddles of Rippled Icicles: one ingredient that is vital to the formation of icicle ripples is salt.
From Scientific American • Dec. 15, 2013
Rippled beams of light shone out from the tattoo under her scarred skin.
From "A Wish in the Dark" by Christina Soontornvat
And he did surmise 'Twas her lips on his, until O'er his face the foam closed chill, Whisp'ring, and the lake unholy Rippled, rippled and was still.
From Idyllic Monologues Old and New World Verses by Cawein, Madison Julius
The red rose dropped from the window-sill And lay in a long swoon quivering; While the dying notes of the strain divine Rippled in glee up my spellbound spine.
From The Old Soldiers Story Poems and Prose Sketches by Riley, James Whitcomb
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.
