1
as in incapacitating
to cause severe or permanent injury to
the car crash may have crippled two people for life
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in damaging
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of
the collision so severely crippled the ship that it had to be towed into port
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in paralyzing
to render powerless, ineffective, or unable to move
a wave of strikes crippled that nation's steel industry
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as in harm
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of crippling
Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 19 Aug. 2025
More importantly, if just one lock were disabled or destroyed, the passage from east to west would be essentially inoperable, crippling the United States and its military defenses.
—Shoshi Parks, Popular Science, 14 Aug. 2025
The accumulation of beta amyloid soaks up more and more lithium, further crippling the brain’s ability to clear it away.
—Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2025
Noun
Thomas’ absence has been crippling for the Giants in recent years.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 19 Aug. 2025
More importantly, if just one lock were disabled or destroyed, the passage from east to west would be essentially inoperable, crippling the United States and its military defenses.
—Shoshi Parks, Popular Science, 14 Aug. 2025
The accumulation of beta amyloid soaks up more and more lithium, further crippling the brain’s ability to clear it away.
—Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crippling
Verb
-
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
Verb
-
Avoid using excessive water to prevent damaging the floors.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Large hail, damaging wind, and continuous cloud to ground lightning are occurring with this storm.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Doctors spent several minutes resuscitating Luka before making the difficult decision to use a paralyzing agent to stop him from moving and potentially hurting himself.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Without these supports, free-will can feel utterly paralyzing.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
That means having to cut jokes that don't fit his do-no-harm MO.—
Erin Jensen,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Since 1972, The Marine Mammal Protection Act has served as a buffer against this cacophony, giving regulators tools to limit harm and protect species from deadly entanglements, vessel strikes, and industrial noise.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The study involved 198 adults with generalized anxiety disorder, or GAD, a disabling form of anxiety that affects about 1 in 10 people over the course of a year.—
Jon Hamilton,
NPR,
5 Sep. 2025
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For people in their retirement years, ages 65 to 74, nearly one in four experiences disabling hearing loss.—
Joseph Coughlin,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Boston comes in with three straight losses marring otherwise agreeable vibes.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Conversely, tax noncompliance could be the death knell undermining an otherwise strong application.—
Virginia La Torre Jeker,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Layered onto all of this is a political system in which priorities flip every few years, undermining the long-term planning and financing that such megaprojects demand.—
Ben Jones,
CNN Money,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The alleged crimes include torture and mutilation, and Heuermann allegedly took notes on the crimes, the targets and measures to avoid detection.—
Michael Ruiz , Jennifer Johnson,
FOXNews.com,
6 Sep. 2025
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But then, in April, Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a memo that said the Justice Department would investigate doctors who provide transition care to minors under existing laws, including laws against genital mutilation.—
Jo Yurcaba,
NBC news,
24 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Crippling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crippling. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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