INCAPACITATING Synonyms: 105 Similar and Opposite Words

incapacitating

verb

present participle of incapacitate

as in paralyzing

to render powerless, ineffective, or unable to move the malfunctioning of a single component can incapacitate the engine

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in crippling

to cause severe or permanent injury to the stroke left her completely incapacitated

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of incapacitating All that before disorienting and incapacitating a potential school shooter in about a minute. — Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026 The driver hits Leatherface in the head with a wrench, incapacitating him long enough for the driver to run away and Sally to jump into the cab of a passing pickup truck. — Jordana Rosenfeld, Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 July 2026 Tabitha grabs one of the weird, spooky totem things and drives it through the chest of the scarecrow monster attacking Donna, killing it – or at least incapacitating it – and the scarecrows retreat. — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026 One of four passengers in Bain’s car, 22-year-old Destiny Betts, suffered incapacitating injuries and was transported to the Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial from the scene, according to the report. — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 13 Apr. 2026 The defendant at the trial, Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company, argued that its policy covered only losses resulting from a medically verified, incapacitating illness. — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 10 Mar. 2026 Larter's Angela has been put through the wringer on the second season of Landman, from getting into an explosive battle with Thornton's Tommy over her period to getting arrested for incapacitating two health inspectors during a visit to her local nursing home. — Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Jan. 2026 Dysentery and scurvy ravaged the vessel, killing or incapacitating many on board. — The Week Uk, TheWeek, 8 Jan. 2026 Documentation is required to show incapacitating injury and illness. — Ralph D. Russo, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for incapacitating

Verb

National Guardsmen marched in the paralyzing heat, which, along with the shadows cast by a revolving sculpture in the courtyard, suggested the eerie calm before the gunfight in a Western.

— Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 20 Aug. 2026
Responsible deployment does not require paralyzing every use case.

— Stephen Messer, Fortune, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of paralyzing

Verb

And the high pay they’re being offered as a lure is crippling the economy.

— The Week UK, TheWeek, 15 Aug. 2026
Trump claims the United States has opened the strait to all commercial ships other than those from Iran, crippling Iran's economy because of its reliance on oil exports.

— Joey Garrison, USA Today, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of crippling

Verb

Christian Castro faces Minnesota charges of assault and falsely reporting a crime after allegedly firing through a home’s front door and wounding 24-year-old Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis during an immigration crackdown.

— Michael Gonzalez, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
Brooklyn Center police say an investigation is underway after two girls riding a minibike collided with a motorist, fatally wounding one of the girls.

— Cole Premo, CBS News, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of wounding

Verb

Young people armed with machetes stormed the site of the funeral, forcing the team to flee and injuring one member, a representative told the Associated Press.

— Constant Same Bagalwa, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026
The lawsuit states that the accused was arrested in May 2021 for injuring a man and damaging multiple vehicles after discharging a firearm more than 20 times at a Kissimmee gas station and then fleeing the scene.

— Evonne Andris, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of injuring

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“Incapacitating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incapacitating. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of incapacitating

verb

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