paralysis

American  

[puh-ral-uh-sis] / pəˈræl ə sɪs /

noun

• paralyses
  plural

1. Pathology.

   1. a loss or impairment of voluntary movement in a body part, caused by injury or disease of the nerves, brain, or spinal cord.

   2. a disease characterized by this, especially palsy.

2. a state of helpless stoppage, inactivity, or inability to act.

   The strike caused a paralysis of all shipping.

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paralysis British  

/ pəˈrælɪsɪs /

noun

1. pathol

   1. 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

   2. a disease characterized by such impairment or loss; palsy

2. cessation or impairment of activity

   paralysis of industry by strikes

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paralysis Scientific  

/ pə-răl′ĭ-sĭs /

1. Loss or impairment of voluntary movement or sensation in a part of the body, usually as a result of neurologic injury or disease.

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paralysis Cultural  

1. The loss of voluntary movement in a body part. Paralysis results from damage to the nerves that supply the affected part of the body.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonparalysis
  noun
• semiparalysis
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• paralyses
  plural

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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

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Compare meaning

How does paralysis compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• paresis vs. paralysis

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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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

paralysis paralyses

According to Mayo Clinic, the condition causes temporary weakness or paralysis of facial muscles, and Brolin felt there was “nothing else to blame” for the symptoms.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026

A U.S.-based chain of medbed operators called Tesla BioHealing has been flagged by federal regulators for claiming that its “Life Force Energy” treatments can cure stroke paralysis, epilepsy, Alzheimer’s, and terminal cancer.

From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026

Roughly half of those who experience one are left with lasting problems such as paralysis or difficulty speaking.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026

Though Liniger continued to live with significant paralysis on her left side after the plane wreck, she learned to play golf with one arm immobilized in a sling and became an accomplished one-armed golfer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

That’s part of it, no doubt, but what embarrasses me much more, and always will, is the paralysis that took my heart.

From "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien

It's the love that I have for him sometimes paralyses me.

From BBC ● Nov. 8, 2025

ICBC, China's largest commercial lender by assets, was beginning to restore services as of Thursday afternoon, the newspaper said, citing people briefed on the ransomware attack, which paralyses computer systems unless a payment is made.

From Reuters ● Nov. 9, 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

Continuous fevers represented for him the effect of the gouty toxin upon the large vessels, while paralyses might occur if the gouty toxin involved the "porosities" of the nerves.

From The Century of Columbus by James J. Walsh

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Related Words

• apathy
• laziness
• passivity
• sluggishness

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