1
as in paralyzing
to render powerless, ineffective, or unable to move
the malfunctioning of a single component can incapacitate the engine
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in crippling
to cause severe or permanent injury to
the stroke left her completely incapacitated
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of incapacitating
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
The only way to repair the rift and deal with the incapacitating grief is through art.
—James Shapiro, The Atlantic, 1 Dec. 2025
He is accused of slipping incapacitating drugs into victims’ food or drinks before assaulting them between 2021 and 2024.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2025
While the name suggests something far more trivial, significant damage to the ligaments of the metatarsophalangeal joint can be incapacitating.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 15 Sep. 2025
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
The only way to repair the rift and deal with the incapacitating grief is through art.
—James Shapiro, The Atlantic, 1 Dec. 2025
He is accused of slipping incapacitating drugs into victims’ food or drinks before assaulting them between 2021 and 2024.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2025
While the name suggests something far more trivial, significant damage to the ligaments of the metatarsophalangeal joint can be incapacitating.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incapacitating
Verb
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To him, these alliances resemble the tiny Lilliputians trying to bind the giant Gulliver with paralyzing strings.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Time,
11 May 2026
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These figures can feel abstract, even paralyzing.—
Ed Gaskin,
Boston Herald,
4 May 2026
Verb
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But, in a separate incident reported by Reuters, it was revealed that Musk did cut service in eastern Ukraine around the same time, crippling a planned Ukrainian counteroffensive in Kherson.—
Ben Tarnoff,
Big Think,
23 Apr. 2026
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Eden outlined how, by crippling universities over charges of antisemitism, McMahon could also achieve larger goals.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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According to police, Cope refused to stop and continued fleeing after troopers attempted a PIT maneuver, disabling one state police patrol vehicle.—
Garrett Behanna,
CBS News,
16 May 2026
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More than half of people 75 and older are living with disabling hearing loss.—
Jon Hamilton,
NPR,
14 May 2026
Verb
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Ukraine launched one of its largest drone barrages of the war, killing at least three people near Moscow and another in Belgorod and wounding a dozen more, officials said.—
Samya Kullab,
Los Angeles Times,
17 May 2026
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The incident took place last June when officers fired at a vehicle, wounding suspect Eric Chase in the knee.—
Joan Murray,
CBS News,
14 May 2026
Verb
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Continue reading … CITYWIDE RAMPAGE — Police arrest 2 juveniles allegedly linked to 12 random shootings injuring 4 people.—
,
FOXNews.com,
18 May 2026
-
Yusef Miller, a local activist with the Muslim community, pointed to an incident seven years ago in which a college student set fire to an Escondido mosque — a crime that remained unsolved until the youth opened fire on Chabad of Poway, killing one congregant and injuring three.—
Karen Kucher,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Incapacitating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incapacitating. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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