Synonyms

paralyze

American

[par-uh-lahyz] / ˈpær əˌlaɪz /

especially British, paralyse

verb (used with object)

paralyzed, paralyzing

to affect with paralysis.
to bring to a condition of helpless stoppage, inactivity, or inability to act.

The strike paralyzed communications.

Related Words

See shock ¹.

Other Word Forms

paralyzant adjective
paralyzation noun
paralyzer noun
paralyzingly adverb
semiparalyzed adjective
unparalyzed adjective

Etymology

Origin of paralyze

First recorded in 1795–1805; back formation from paralysis, modeled on analyze

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.

“The pressure and embarrassment could be paralyzing,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal

Instead of succumbing to paralyzing fear, like any normal person would in a storm like this, she’d been able to figure out the pattern to Nicole’s swimming.

From Literature

It isn’t Abby’s fault that her legs are partially paralyzed, Jonathan reminded himself.

From Literature

And FDR was paralyzed by polio and used a wheelchair, but he kept it a secret by leaning on things—or his wife—for support or hiding his legs behind tablecloths.

From Literature

Southern states have struggled to recover from the paralyzing storm, with power outages still affecting more than 115,000 customers.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023