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
Relevance
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
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 incapacitating
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
To write one’s way out of the incapacitating dependence of daughterhood into autonomy means shedding the unquestioning fidelity of a child.
—Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 3 Sep. 2025
This is not some bloodthirsty pirate contempt with conquering a pleasure planet like everyone thought, but a calculative master manipulator and tactician who knew the value of Kalgan and used it to acquire a larger prize — incapacitating the Empire’s attack forces.
—Rafael Motamayor, Vulture, 9 Aug. 2025
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
To write one’s way out of the incapacitating dependence of daughterhood into autonomy means shedding the unquestioning fidelity of a child.
—Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 3 Sep. 2025
This is not some bloodthirsty pirate contempt with conquering a pleasure planet like everyone thought, but a calculative master manipulator and tactician who knew the value of Kalgan and used it to acquire a larger prize — incapacitating the Empire’s attack forces.
—Rafael Motamayor, Vulture, 9 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incapacitating
Verb
-
Because of the paralyzing fear caused by their operation, small businesses whose customer bases and workforces include immigrant community members temporarily closed due to the sharp drop in customers and fear that their businesses would be subject to CBP raids.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Feb. 2026
-
McDonald was only 20 months on the job when a 15-year-old suspect, Shavod Jones, opened fire on him in Central Park on July 12, 1986, striking McDonald in the face, neck and wrist, and paralyzing him instantly.—
Barry Williams,
New York Daily News,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The department blamed Congress for a sudden $120 million shortfall, but the Herald/Times reported this week that the department’s own actions are crippling the program.—
Lawrence Mower,
Miami Herald,
13 Feb. 2026
-
With temperatures well into the teens and 20s, the ice storm on the southern side will be crippling in terms of travel conditions, trees and power outages.—
Marshall Shepherd,
Forbes.com,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Additional options allow toggling Anisotropic Materials, Chromatic Aberration, and Bloom, and disabling Global Illumination entirely.—
Jennifer Maas,
Variety,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Climate change itself has become a major risk factor, with heatwaves disabling power plants and droughts drying up hydro reservoirs.—
Scott Montgomery,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The gunman, later identified by police as 35-year-old Patrick Madison, fired at officers, wounding Gasco.—
Mike Toole,
CBS News,
11 Feb. 2026
-
The shooting started after Neves Valente entered a study session in a Brown academic building and opened fire on students, killing 19-year-old sophomore Ella Cook and 18-year-old freshman Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov and wounding nine others.—
Corky Siemaszko,
NBC news,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
While traveling through Dayton, Texas, a truck struck the monks’ escort vehicle, injuring several people, according to local media reports previously cited by Reuters.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Johnson had to withdraw from Beijing one month before the Games after injuring her knee.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Incapacitating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incapacitating. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
