CRIPPLE Synonyms: 167 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the verb 'cripple' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of cripple are batter , maim , mangle , and mutilate . While all these words mean "to injure so severely as to cause lasting damage," cripple implies the loss or serious impairment of an arm or leg. // crippled for life in an accident

Q: Where would 'batter' be a reasonable alternative to 'cripple'?

While in some cases nearly identical to cripple , batter implies a series of blows that bruise deeply, deform, or mutilate. // an old ship battered by fierce storms

Q: In what contexts can 'maim' take the place of 'cripple'?

The words maim and cripple can be used in similar contexts, but maim implies the loss or injury of a bodily member through violence. // maimed by a shark

Q: When is 'mangle' a more appropriate choice than 'cripple'?

Although the words mangle and cripple have much in common, mangle implies a tearing or crushing that leaves deep wounds. // a soldier's leg mangled by shrapnel

Q: When can 'mutilate' be used instead of 'cripple'?

While the synonyms mutilate and cripple are close in meaning, mutilate implies the cutting off or removal of an essential part of a person or thing thereby impairing its completeness, beauty, or function. // a tree mutilated by inept pruning

cripple

verb

Definition of cripple

as in to incapacitate

to cause severe or permanent injury to the car crash may have crippled two people for life

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to injure

to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of the collision so severely crippled the ship that it had to be towed into port

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to paralyze

to render powerless, ineffective, or unable to move a wave of strikes crippled that nation's steel industry

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb cripple contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of cripple are batter, maim, mangle, and mutilate. While all these words mean "to injure so severely as to cause lasting damage," cripple implies the loss or serious impairment of an arm or leg.

crippled for life in an accident

Where would batter be a reasonable alternative to cripple?

While in some cases nearly identical to cripple, batter implies a series of blows that bruise deeply, deform, or mutilate.

an old ship battered by fierce storms

In what contexts can maim take the place of cripple?

The words maim and cripple can be used in similar contexts, but maim implies the loss or injury of a bodily member through violence.

maimed by a shark

When is mangle a more appropriate choice than cripple?

Although the words mangle and cripple have much in common, mangle implies a tearing or crushing that leaves deep wounds.

a soldier's leg mangled by shrapnel

When can mutilate be used instead of cripple?

While the synonyms mutilate and cripple are close in meaning, mutilate implies the cutting off or removal of an essential part of a person or thing thereby impairing its completeness, beauty, or function.

a tree mutilated by inept pruning

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 cripple In other words, having a semi-capable infrastructure or limiting what data is available to the AI could cripple your chances. — Ozan Ozerk, Forbes.com, 13 Oct. 2026 The long nightmare might be over for South African producers, whose industry has been crippled for more than two years by the paralysis of a rebate program that for all intents and purposes had ceased to function. — Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026 Power outages crippled the Ferris wheel and melted ice cream. — Ta-Nehisi Coates, Vanity Fair, 12 Oct. 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for cripple

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cripple

Verb

Yandex has run drills for an accident that could incapacitate one of its six data centers, but it was caught unprepared when its three key facilities were hit over four days.

— ABC News, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026
Now, a poisonous residue on the same crowbar has left him incapacitated.

— Scott Tobias, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of incapacitate

Verb

Also according to the emergency service, consecutive Russian strikes on a shopping center in Kharkiv injured four people late on Saturday, including three rescue workers.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026
Patrick, who was injured when his cleats became tangled in TV cords, had to first seek redress through a grievance procedure before being able to pursue a lawsuit.

— Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of injure

Verb

But supporters also warned that a Congress increasingly dominated by the far right and the agribusiness caucus could undermine those efforts to protect the forest and combat climate change.

— ABC News, ABC News, 27 Oct. 2026
The senator challenged Supreme Federal Court Justice Cristiano Zanin’s decision to extend voting by two hours, arguing that the uneven application of the measure had undermined equal voting conditions.

— Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of undermine

Verb

From microwave weapons that can disable multiple drones to interceptor missiles and electronic warfare systems, the US military is developing a diverse toolkit to counter the growing threat from unmanned aircraft.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 25 Oct. 2026
The double-press-and-hold control is the only one that can’t be customized here, and it’s locked to disabling/enabling the dial itself.

— Mark Knapp, PC Magazine, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of disable

Verb

Rioters burned close to 6,000 vehicles and damaged over 1,000 buildings.

— Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 22 Oct. 2026
What that young girl saw damaged and scarred her heart; one wonders why the happy adults around her could not see the ugliness inherent in killing a fellow human being.

— Dr. Michael Good, Hartford Courant, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of damage

Verb

Conditions were expected to improve Saturday afternoon as winds weakened, with fair and dry weather forecast for the remainder of the weekend.

— Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 23 Oct. 2026
As trust in America weakens further, other wealthy nations will make the same calculation.

— Fareed Zakaria, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of weaken

Verb

Two women, ages 50 and 60, were killed and dozens of other people were wounded in a Russian strike on a market in Lozova, in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region, said Oleh Syniehubov, head of the regional military administration.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2026
Three more soldiers were lightly wounded in the attack in the city of Hebron, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

— Jeremy Diamond, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of wound

Verb

Possible char marks from a fire or damage from another source have marred the floor of a classroom at the modern but vacant public school campus at 1215 Miramar Street, on the edge of downtown.

— Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026
The election process was marred by allegations of voter suppression, with Lula's campaign reporting suspended public transportation in some key areas, prompting the court to extend voting by two hours.

— Anniek Bao, CNBC, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of mar

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crinkling

cripple

crippled

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“Cripple.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cripple. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of cripple

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