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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 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

With a combined readership of 75 million at their peak, Hopper and Parsons wielded extraordinary influence — and instilled paralyzing fear.

— Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 27 Oct. 2026
The attacks on Yandex caused unprecedented disruptions, paralyzing payments, online orders, taxi rides and access to personal data.

— ABC News, ABC News, 22 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

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
The family also believes the burglars may have jammed the home's Wi-Fi signal, disabling security cameras during the break-in.

— Adi Guajardo, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of disabling

Verb

Russia's aerial attacks hit 12 regions of Ukraine overnight, killing at least four people and wounding scores of others, including five children, Zelenskyy said on social media Thursday.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2026
In 2016, gunmen ambushed police in a series of attacks in Karak, including at a Crusader castle popular with tourists, killing 10 people, including seven officers, and wounding dozens.

— Greg Norman-Diamond, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of wounding

Verb

During a livestreamed service at a Raytown church Sunday, a truck rammed through the front doors, seriously injuring a member of the congregation.

— Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 26 Oct. 2026
At 12,600 feet elevation, the climber fell through a snow bridge, severely injuring his leg.

— Tim Fang, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of injuring

Browse Nearby Words

incapacitates

incapacitating

incapacitation

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Incapacitating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incapacitating. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of incapacitating

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

reticent

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes