paralyzing

verb

present participle of paralyze
1
as in crippling
to render powerless, ineffective, or unable to move a blizzard paralyzed the city for two days

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in frightening
to deprive of courage or confidence the school board is paralyzed by the threat of lawsuits for just about everything

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 paralyzing 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 The tropical storm hit Japan days after Typhoon Dolphin created havoc in parts of southern Japan, paralyzing traffic and sending hundreds to take shelter. — ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026 Gripped by a paralyzing fear for the fate of her future children, Naama returns to the same monument where the infidelity took place; there, her parents appear before her. — Katie Campione, Deadline, 4 Aug. 2026 But as anyone who’s stared at a wall of swatches well knows, choosing the right shade can feel paralyzing. — Kelly Dawson, Architectural Digest, 31 July 2026 The next afternoon, in Central Park, a 15-year-old boy named Shavod Jones shot McDonald three times, severing his spinal cord and paralyzing him from the neck down. — Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 31 July 2026 But his mental anguish is upsetting the balance of his cross-species DNA, first with paralyzing headaches and gradually with an internal battle as his arachnid side starts overpowering his human side. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 28 July 2026 Airpower should be assessed by the strategic effects it is tasked to achieve—disrupting enemy systems, paralyzing command, destroying key capabilities, etc. — David A. Deptula, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paralyzing
  1. crippling
  2. frightening
  3. incapacitating
  4. terrifying
  5. undermining
  6. intimidating
  7. disabling
  8. scaring
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
  • Powell tried to open the stall door, and then began fondling himself, frightening the 11-year-old, who tried to leave, but Powell blocked him from getting out.
    — Todd Feurer, CBS News, 6 June 2026
  • This war has been a disaster for them, frightening away foreign investors, tourists and talent and burdening them with a future of huge new defense bills to deter Iran after the United States is gone.
    — Thomas L. Friedman, Mercury News, 15 May 2026
Definition of frightening
Verb
  • 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
Definition of incapacitating
Verb
  • For Thomas, unpacking what went wrong goes well beyond the headless bodies, terrifying phone calls and dead ends.
    — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Spotify is terrifying much of the podcast industry with a tiny little widget.
    — Max Tani, semafor.com, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of terrifying
Verb
  • The same practices that have allowed the Kremlin to relentlessly tighten its political control are also undermining the state’s capacity to govern.
    — Andrei Soldatov, Foreign Affairs, 31 Aug. 2026
  • As to alleged contempt, the siblings could argue that exploration of a sale of the team should not count as evidence of undermining the 2017 court order.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of undermining
Verb
  • Purdue Every schedule might look intimidating for Purdue, which has lost 18 straight in Big Ten play.
    — Scott Dochterman, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • For someone searching for a grief community, a grief or trauma support group might seem intimidating.
    — Sneha Dhandapani, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of intimidating
Verb
  • For the majority of people with schizophrenia, however, the condition is persistent, disabling and isolating.
    — Matthew Kurtz, The Conversation, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Iran targeted that base with a missile attack, partly disabling it.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of disabling
Verb
  • Few griz/hunter interactions ever move beyond the scaring stage.
    — Ron Spomer, Outdoor Life, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Be a menace to people in the community, driving his boat 70 to 80 miles per hour, driving around scaring the heck out of people, taking people's lives.
    — Lauren Victory, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of scaring

Browse Nearby Words

paralyzes
paralyzing
paramedic
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Cite this Entry

“Paralyzing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paralyzing. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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