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

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:

• paresis vs. paralysis

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

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

All of the affected elephants - mainly female adults and their calves - had also shown signs of paralysis, which authorities believe also points to cyanide poisoning.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

"The result is paralysis with rare exceptions due either to the severity of the crimes or US intervention," Novik added.

From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026

As their savings ran out, she said, it triggered so much stress that she developed facial paralysis.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

It disgusted me at first, but suddenly I realized the only way to overcome this paralysis was to outwit him.

From "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes

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

In a recent Australian-made TV political thriller called Secret City, a cyber-attack paralyses the country's air traffic control system.

From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2016

All of the neuralgias, many of the neuroses, all of the neuritises and a certain number of so-called palsies and paralyses, were treated successfully by this means.

From Psychotherapy by James J. (James Joseph) Walsh

Related Words

• apathy
• laziness
• passivity
• sluggishness