PARALYZES Synonyms: 72 Similar and Opposite Words

paralyzes

verb

present tense third-person singular of paralyze

as in cripples

to render powerless, ineffective, or unable to move a blizzard paralyzed the city for two days

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as in frightens

to deprive of courage or confidence the school board is paralyzed by the threat of lawsuits for just about everything

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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 paralyzes Fear, like ignorance, shuts our eyes to and paralyzes our trust in God’s omnipotence, omniscience, and unfailing love for His children, whereas the understanding of God’s ever-present goodness removes the fear that generates suffering. — André Kisonga, Christian Science Monitor, 30 June 2026 These opportunists drown out the core mission, creating a cacophony of competing voices that confuses donors, crowd the inboxes of CEOs and members of Congress with colliding petitions, and paralyzes meaningful action by draining critical funding and attention away from the truly effective groups. — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 28 June 2026 In fact, too much choice often paralyzes decision-making. — David Meade, Forbes.com, 14 May 2026 Once an octopus ambushes and bites its prey, the venom in its saliva paralyzes the prey, allowing the octopus to consume it. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Mar. 2026 Monster blizzard paralyzes Northeast with extreme snow, soaring power outages. — FOXNews.com, 23 Feb. 2026 For example, the curare plant poisons used by South and Central American hunters paralyzes the respiratory system. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 7 Jan. 2026 Turning his challenge into a mission and helping others overcome what paralyzes them. — Isabella Kunde, CBS News, 2 Dec. 2025 Earlier this year, Dane himself announced that he had been diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disease, which gradually paralyzes the body by destroying the nerve cells that control muscle movement. — Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 25 Nov. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for paralyzes

Verb

Federal illegality further cripples operations with banking and tax burdens.

— Peter Su, Forbes.com, 20 June 2026
In the final version of the film, Furiosa captures Dementus, cripples him, brings him back to the Citadel.

— Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 17 June 2026

Definition of cripples

Verb

Penelope, too, is asked to occupy a landscape that frightens her, not only as a neurodivergent child in a neurotypical culture, but as a child now situated in an adult world.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 Aug. 2026
And for members who have a long history, who are used to running on that long history, that frightens them.

— ABC News, ABC News, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of frightens

Verb

Writer-director Jacob Chase is uniquely qualified to distill what really scares audiences.

— William Earl, Variety, 21 Aug. 2026
The exposure obviously scares him, but not enough to stop him from filming his next scene, where he’s been tasked with breaking in newcomer Cami Soul.

— Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of scares

Verb

Siegel noted that measles weakens the immune system and increases the risk of pneumonia, which can stem from measles itself or from a secondary bacterial infection.

— Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Employment has been a mostly resilient area of the economy even as stubborn inflation continues to squeeze businesses and households, while consumer confidence weakens.

— ABC News, ABC News, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of weakens

Verb

Melanie Melanie came to this reunion prepared with both facts and a prosecutorial confrontation style that effectively intimidates all of her on-stage opponents.

— Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 1 Sep. 2026
In the five vignettes, James, as his character Eddie Horniman, intimidates various individuals while going through the clean-up, the sacrifice, the angle, the cut and the judgment — all steps of serving Stella Artois.

— Chiara Kim, PEOPLE, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of intimidates

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

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Synonyms of paralyzes

verb

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