1
as in unsuccessful
not producing the desired result
several hamstrung attempts to reorganize the local parent-teacher association were made
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in paralyzed
unable to act or achieve one's purpose
hamstrung by recent congressional limitations on executive power, the president can do little in this situation
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in crippled
to render powerless, ineffective, or unable to move
the downtown development committee claims that it's hamstrung by city ordinances protecting historic buildings
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of hamstrung
Terrence O'Brien, The Verge, 31 May 2026
Does this mean that the courts are effectively hamstrung for several weeks from the start of early voting to Election Day?
—Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 13 May 2026
Still, amid his newfound songwriting success, Gordy felt hamstrung by the realities of the record biz.
—Brian McCollum, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026
Haithcock said schools have been financially hamstrung since Act 10 – the Scott Walker-era landmark law in 2011 that curtailed union bargaining power and cut take-home pay for workers – especially amid declining student enrollment.
—Natalie Eilbert, jsonline.com, 19 Mar. 2026
The lingering animosity, in his view, hamstrung budget talks and the passage of the Legislature’s most consequential proposals.
—Garrett Shanley, Miami Herald, 13 Mar. 2026
In Oregon, too, where gray wolves have been established for longer, ranchers feel hamstrung.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 16 Feb. 2026
At the outset of the Hot Stove Season, the Mets moved fan-favorite Brandon Nimmo to the Texas Rangers in return for sure-handed, but potentially bat-hamstrung second baseman, Marcus Semien.
—Dan Freedman, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
Yet, spending significantly more long-term money on one closer compared to the alternatives on the market could wind up leaving the Mets financially hamstrung.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Nov. 2025
Tristan Bove, Fortune, 17 June 2026
Liverpool have been hamstrung by the absence of their four most important attackers through injury in recent weeks, but there has been little sign of improvement as the season draws to a close.
—James Pearce, New York Times, 30 May 2026
Rian is similarly hamstrung by inarticulacy and masculine angst, but his storyline feels the least convincing, as if fashioned only to prove money can’t buy happiness, even if Cole convincingly suggests unspoken depths.
—Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 22 May 2026
Qatar, the world's second-largest supplier which owns part of the world's largest gas field, has seen its export capacity hamstrung by Iranian strikes.
—Kai Nicol-Schwarz, CNBC, 19 May 2026
While Oklahoma City deployed its 10th or 11th men at times, Redick stuck to eight- or nine-man rotations, hamstrung by inefficiencies across the bottom half of the roster.
—Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 13 May 2026
Assayas is a great filmmaker, but seems hamstrung by this being a film, not a series.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 13 May 2026
But future work may be hamstrung by federal funding cuts.
—Joanna Thompson, Space.com, 12 May 2026
The state is hamstrung in its redistricting efforts despite a Republican trifecta by a constitutional amendment barring maps favoring a specific party.
—Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
But that machine was largely considered a hamstrung disaster.
—Terrence O'Brien, The Verge, 31 May 2026
Does this mean that the courts are effectively hamstrung for several weeks from the start of early voting to Election Day?
—Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 13 May 2026
Still, amid his newfound songwriting success, Gordy felt hamstrung by the realities of the record biz.
—Brian McCollum, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026
Haithcock said schools have been financially hamstrung since Act 10 – the Scott Walker-era landmark law in 2011 that curtailed union bargaining power and cut take-home pay for workers – especially amid declining student enrollment.
—Natalie Eilbert, jsonline.com, 19 Mar. 2026
The lingering animosity, in his view, hamstrung budget talks and the passage of the Legislature’s most consequential proposals.
—Garrett Shanley, Miami Herald, 13 Mar. 2026
In Oregon, too, where gray wolves have been established for longer, ranchers feel hamstrung.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 16 Feb. 2026
At the outset of the Hot Stove Season, the Mets moved fan-favorite Brandon Nimmo to the Texas Rangers in return for sure-handed, but potentially bat-hamstrung second baseman, Marcus Semien.
—Dan Freedman, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
Yet, spending significantly more long-term money on one closer compared to the alternatives on the market could wind up leaving the Mets financially hamstrung.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Nov. 2025
Verb
Even those items that can be produced will be hamstrung by constraints to global trade.
—Tristan Bove, Fortune, 17 June 2026
Liverpool have been hamstrung by the absence of their four most important attackers through injury in recent weeks, but there has been little sign of improvement as the season draws to a close.
—James Pearce, New York Times, 30 May 2026
Rian is similarly hamstrung by inarticulacy and masculine angst, but his storyline feels the least convincing, as if fashioned only to prove money can’t buy happiness, even if Cole convincingly suggests unspoken depths.
—Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 22 May 2026
Qatar, the world's second-largest supplier which owns part of the world's largest gas field, has seen its export capacity hamstrung by Iranian strikes.
—Kai Nicol-Schwarz, CNBC, 19 May 2026
While Oklahoma City deployed its 10th or 11th men at times, Redick stuck to eight- or nine-man rotations, hamstrung by inefficiencies across the bottom half of the roster.
—Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 13 May 2026
Assayas is a great filmmaker, but seems hamstrung by this being a film, not a series.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 13 May 2026
But future work may be hamstrung by federal funding cuts.
—Joanna Thompson, Space.com, 12 May 2026
The state is hamstrung in its redistricting efforts despite a Republican trifecta by a constitutional amendment barring maps favoring a specific party.
—Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 23 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hamstrung
Adjective
-
There were certainly many unsuccessful fits and starts.—
Katie Kelly Bell,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
-
Pearson said multiple attempts by Fish and Game to trap the bear were unsuccessful.—
Nicole Blanchard,
Idaho Statesman,
18 June 2026
Adjective
-
McConnell has always appeared to have a somewhat unsteady gate — a childhood bout of polio left him with a partially paralyzed leg.—
Eric McDaniel,
NPR,
14 June 2026
-
Your stomach isn’t literally paralyzed — but it’s slowed down enough to cause real problems.—
Ryan Brennan,
Sacbee.com,
13 June 2026
Verb
-
Candidates whose public image depends on favorable coverage can be crippled by bad headlines.—
Matthew Shelter,
New York Daily News,
13 June 2026
-
The protest largely crippled the country’s center, with highways closed and public transportation halted by the massive crowds in both Jerusalem and the Tel Aviv metro area.—
Melanie Lidman,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
Adjective
-
Changes to fiscal policies so that the government does not continue bailing out inefficient state enterprises.—
Nora Gámez Torres,
Miami Herald,
12 June 2026
-
In reality, inefficient data management drives unnecessary scale.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
Adjective
-
Over the course of a 60-yard run, Maradona danced past opponents, escaped challenges and left English defenders helpless before beating the goalkeeper with a clinical finish.—
Cesar R. Torres,
The Conversation,
17 June 2026
-
Arturo has grown used to driving by traffic stops, then circling back to move his friends’ and neighbors’ abandoned cars to their helpless families left behind.—
Karen Valby,
Vanity Fair,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
There appeared to be an increasing tendency to control the flow of information and decision‐making, creating barriers that undermined the Commission’s ability to function as an independent body.—
Helen I. Bennett,
Hartford Courant,
16 June 2026
-
The collapse of the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum bill last month was ugly — a worthy project undermined by controversial amendments and political maneuvering.—
Justin Shubow,
Washington Post,
15 June 2026
Adjective
-
The idea of ever getting comfortable or confident is almost counterproductive.—
Daniel D'Addario,
Variety,
12 June 2026
-
Doing so while having to perform in games where the results are all that matter can be confounding and even counterproductive.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 June 2026
Adjective
-
But his father contracted pneumonia in 2011, and after two decades in prison, his body was too weak to fight it.—
Yumi Asada,
CNN Money,
13 June 2026
-
That gap is where signal blindness, misalignment, bottlenecks, execution delays and weak learning loops quietly convert external change into our fragilities.—
Christopher Washington,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hamstrung.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hamstrung. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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