adjective
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of, relating to, or of the nature of paralysis
-
afflicted with or subject to paralysis
-
informal very drunk
noun
Other Word Forms
- nonparalytic adjective
- paralytically adverb
- postparalytic adjective
- semiparalytic noun
- subparalytic adjective
Etymology
Origin of paralytic
1300–50; Middle English paralitik < Latin paralyticus < Greek paralytikós, equivalent to paraly- ( paralysis ) + -tikos -tic
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.
Since 1903, 582 total cases — including 39 deaths — have been attributed to paralytic shellfish poisoning in California.
From Los Angeles Times • May 9, 2025
Pakistan is launching a nationwide polio vaccination campaign on 28 October to vaccinate more than 45 million children under the age of five against paralytic polio.
From BBC • Oct. 20, 2024
There is no antidote to paralytic shellfish poisoning, but treatment involves supportive care and, if necessary, respiratory support.
From Seattle Times • May 29, 2024
"We find paralytic shellfish toxins in our shellfish pretty much year-round at this point."
From Science Daily • Mar. 21, 2024
A celebrity among the Norfolk Prison Colony inmates was a rich, older fellow, a paralytic, called John.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
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.
