as in helpless
unable to act or achieve one's purpose
handcuffed by a dearth of funding, the preservation society can do little but stand by as these historic structures deteriorate
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in bound
to confine or restrain with or as if with chains
wanted to take the trip, but was handcuffed by her responsibility to watch her ailing father
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hampered
to create difficulty for the work or activity of
the fear that the new mandatory, standardized tests will handcuff the state's teachers, who will have to specifically tailor their lesson plans for the test
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for handcuffed
Adjective
-
In Texarkana, the year before, men and boys amused themselves by cutting off strips of flesh and thrusting knives into their helpless victim.—
Liz Tracey,
JSTOR Daily,
21 Feb. 2025 -
Amick stars alongside James Spader as a beguiling beauty whom Spader is helpless before.—
Jordan Crucchiola,
Vulture,
13 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
The grant money is paying to remove vegetation along a 100-foot perimeter at the upper part of the coastal canyon Buck Gully Reserve, which is 1,200 acres and bounded by homes, roadways and the Pelican Hills Golf Course.—
Erika I. Ritchie,
Orange County Register,
27 Feb. 2025
-
When that happens, the algorithm is deemed optimal — inexorably bounded from above and below, leaving no room for further refinement.—
Steve Nadis,
Quanta Magazine,
24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
The cousin also was hit with gunfire and became paralyzed, prosecutors said.—
Sara Schilling,
Sacramento Bee,
24 Feb. 2025
-
John Lithgow plays an elderly care home tyrant out to drive an arrogant and partially paralyzed judge, played by Geoffrey Rush, insane in the official trailer for The Rule of Jenny Pen, which dropped Monday.—
Etan Vlessing,
The Hollywood Reporter,
24 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
It’s tied for the Heat’s longest road trip of the season.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
5 Jan. 2025
-
But the Vikings are just as formidable — top 10 in points for and against and tied for the most takeaways in football.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
The Athletic,
5 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Late in the game, #63 of the Baltimore Colts threw a great block that impeded two of the Giants defenders to spring Alan Ameche (#35) for a long gain.—
Drew Carberry,
Baltimore Sun,
22 Dec. 2024
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In addition to extreme weather conditions, the cast and crew had to contend with various Hollywood strike shutdowns that impeded filming.—
Dana Feldman,
Forbes,
18 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
By late this evening, the winds will be significantly weaker.—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
27 Feb. 2025
-
For example, an experimental receiver aboard the Blue Ghost lander acquired and tracked navigation signals from GPS satellites for the first time in lunar orbit, where these signals are 361 times weaker than on Earth.—
Kristin Shaw,
Ars Technica,
27 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
But there are still 5,000 seats that have obstructed views.—
Scott Powers,
The Athletic,
28 Dec. 2024
-
Such large-scale research has been difficult, particularly during the most deadly waves of the pandemic when clinic restrictions and medical emergencies obstructed consistent testing.—
Bloomberg,
The Mercury News,
27 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Handcuffed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/handcuffed. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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