as in helpless
unable to act or achieve one's purpose
handcuffed by a dearth of funding, the preservation society can do little but stand by as these historic structures deteriorate
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in bound
to confine or restrain with or as if with chains
wanted to take the trip, but was handcuffed by her responsibility to watch her ailing father
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hampered
to create difficulty for the work or activity of
the fear that the new mandatory, standardized tests will handcuff the state's teachers, who will have to specifically tailor their lesson plans for the test
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 handcuffed
James Grebey, Time, 12 Sep. 2025
Kluwe later went to the front of the meeting, and police handcuffed him and led him out.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 12 Sep. 2025
Multiple deputies responded to the disturbance and handcuffed Adair.
—Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 11 Sep. 2025
Photos showed workers being handcuffed and shackled before being loaded onto buses.
—Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 9 Sep. 2025
The workers may be shackled or handcuffed, and torture is not uncommon.
—Christine Ro, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
The 6-year-old shared similar accounts, telling officers her mom handcuffed her after she was caught eating in a bathroom, according to KSAT.
—Mike Stunson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Sep. 2025
Three men rushed Tomas, tased him, pinned him to the ground, handcuffed him, and then hit him continuously in the head and in the back and in the kidneys.
—Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
Moises called up footage showing the California senator Alex Padilla being thrown to the floor and handcuffed by federal agents during a government press conference about the military’s presence.
—Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
With Gerald's Game, the first of the three, the catch was that the 1992 novel really only has one character, Jessie, a woman handcuffed to a bed after a bedroom activity goes wrong and her husband has a heart attack.
—James Grebey, Time, 12 Sep. 2025
Kluwe later went to the front of the meeting, and police handcuffed him and led him out.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 12 Sep. 2025
Multiple deputies responded to the disturbance and handcuffed Adair.
—Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 11 Sep. 2025
Photos showed workers being handcuffed and shackled before being loaded onto buses.
—Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 9 Sep. 2025
The workers may be shackled or handcuffed, and torture is not uncommon.
—Christine Ro, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
The 6-year-old shared similar accounts, telling officers her mom handcuffed her after she was caught eating in a bathroom, according to KSAT.
—Mike Stunson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Sep. 2025
Three men rushed Tomas, tased him, pinned him to the ground, handcuffed him, and then hit him continuously in the head and in the back and in the kidneys.
—Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
Moises called up footage showing the California senator Alex Padilla being thrown to the floor and handcuffed by federal agents during a government press conference about the military’s presence.
—Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for handcuffed
Adjective
-
This burden of additional responsibilities and emotional labor with less resources lead many women to feel helpless, leaving divorce as the only escape.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
-
The sunbathers of sleepy Amity Bay are helpless against the unexpected great white shark that hunts their coasts; Spielberg’s talent for suspense, effective horror shocks, and ingenious reinvention of the classic animal-attack movie remain as impressive as ever.—
Christina Newland,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
With technology growing by leaps and bounds every day, more and more tasks can be automated.—
Adam Coffey,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Clairemont is bounded by Interstate 5 and Pacific Beach to the west, state Route 52 and University City to the north, Linda Vista to the south and Kearny Mesa to the east.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Talking to Bill Nighy about his star turn as a frail and at times broken novelist in & Sons is rather hampered by the British actor not having seen director Pablo Trapero’s father-and-son drama on a screen of any size ahead of its world premiere on Sunday at the Toronto Film Festival.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Currently, only 37% of the more than 5 million tons of trash generated in the county each year is recycled — and even that is hampered by a 40% contamination rate.—
Ashley Miznazi,
Miami Herald,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Feeling paralyzed in your job search?—
Maria Gracia Santillana Linares,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Her son was left paralyzed from the mid-chest down, had to have his left leg amputated at the knee and two thirds of his bowel removed — and almost a month later, is still in the hospital, where he is intubated and fighting an infection.—
Janelle Griffith,
PEOPLE,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The team behind the research noted that many of these genes are tied to developmental delay, which may have played a role in the slower pace of postnatal brain growth in humans compared to chimpanzees.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Sep. 2025
-
In this 2024 summer blockbuster, Miami's favorite bantering detectives go on a high-stakes mission to clear their late captain's name after he's wrongfully tied to a drug conspiracy.—
Emy LaCroix,
PEOPLE,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Additionally, debris removal took place, including significant debris that impeded roadways and public spaces, and damage occurred to water control facilities, utilities and parks and recreation facilities.—
Cathy Kozlowicz,
jsonline.com,
28 Aug. 2025
-
The rare move highlighted the administration's combative stance toward jurists who impeded its immigration policies.—
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The Royals made a lot of weak contact, which resulted in a mix of groundouts.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Last week, a weaker-than-expected jobs report added to expectations of an imminent rate cut by the central bank.—
Chloe Taylor,
CNBC,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In one scene, Sweet Tooth is shackled and dragged behind a taxi en route to the Eastern Sovereignty, ruled by Pope Charlie Kane.—
JP Mangalindan,
Time,
28 Aug. 2025
-
The lawsuit accused officers of violently pulling Gibson, who was shackled, out of the back of a police vehicle and throwing him to the asphalt.—
Christina Hall,
Freep.com,
14 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Handcuffed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/handcuffed. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share