INCAPACITATING Synonyms: 105 Similar and Opposite Words

incapacitating

verb

present participle of incapacitate

as in paralyzing

to render powerless, ineffective, or unable to move the malfunctioning of a single component can incapacitate the engine

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in crippling

to cause severe or permanent injury to the stroke left her completely incapacitated

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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 Fragments of the powerhouse author’s path to her incapacitating accident then unfold through Lowen’s POV, starting with Verity’s steamy first encounter with Jeremy. — Fawnia Soo Hoo, Allure, 5 Oct. 2026 Smit Machchhar with the cockpit's crash axe, incapacitating him and causing the aircraft to plummet before passengers on board seized control of the plane. — Michael Sinkewicz , Elizabeth Pritchett, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2026 The video shows the Taser not incapacitating her and the woman walking quickly toward the officers while waving the knives in front of her. — ABC News, 31 Aug. 2026 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 Tabitha grabs one of the weird, spooky totem things and drives it through the chest of the scarecrow monster attacking Donna, killing it – or at least incapacitating it – and the scarecrows retreat. — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for incapacitating

Verb

The attacks and the air raid alerts that accompany them have severely disrupted life in the city, forcing millions to constantly seek shelter and paralyzing the capital’s businesses and transport networks.

— Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 5 Oct. 2026
Medications used in lethal injections usually act in three steps -- first sedating the individual, then paralyzing them, before ending important bodily functions necessary for life.

— Allen Chang, ABC News, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of paralyzing

Verb

The flip side is that the state suffers crippling deficits when the market tanks, as during the Global Financial Crisis.

— Jason Ma, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2026
In the days after the ceasefire broke down, the Houthis announced a blockade on Saudi shipping, and launched attacks crippling Saudi Arabia’s oil export infrastructure.

— Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of crippling

Verb

When the user reached out to Meta, a support staff member reportedly recommended disabling several settings, including mic and camera permissions.

— Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 16 Oct. 2026
The next day, Ukrainian drones hit the company's major data center in the Kaluga region, southwest of Moscow, disabling part of the facility, Yandex said.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of disabling

Verb

On July 17, an Iranian missile struck Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, killing three American soldiers and wounding four others.

— Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Foreign Affairs, 16 Oct. 2026
Deputies returned fire, wounding 30-year-old Linda Mullennix and ending the standoff that began late Thursday.

— Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of wounding

Verb

Strus also will be out for a while after injuring his right foot during training camp.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026
This is where Krasner and Pollock lived for nearly 11 years, until Pollock killed himself and one of his passengers, Edith Metzger, while driving drunk, injuring his girlfriend, Ruth Kligman, too.

— John Yau, ARTnews.com, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of injuring

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“Incapacitating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incapacitating. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of incapacitating

verb

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