paralysis

Meanings

1. 1noununcountablemedical

   A medical condition in which someone loses the ability to move or feel part or most of their body, usually because of nerve damage.

   Grammar: Uncountable: you say 'suffers from paralysis', not 'a paralysis'.

   Patterns

   • suffer from paralysis
   • cause paralysis
   • partial/total paralysis

   After the stroke, he had paralysis on the left side of his body.

   The disease can cause permanent paralysis in the legs.

   She was born with a rare form of paralysis that affects her arms.

2. 2noununcountablefigurative

   A state in which someone is completely unable to act or make a decision.

   Grammar: Used figuratively; often appears in phrases like 'paralysis of analysis' or 'political paralysis'.

   Patterns

   • paralysis of analysis
   • political paralysis
   • be in a state of paralysis

   The committee's paralysis meant that no decision was made for months.

   He suffered from paralysis of analysis and could not choose a career.

   The country faced economic paralysis after the election.

Common combinations

total paralysis

The accident left him with total paralysis from the neck down.

partial paralysis

She recovered from partial paralysis after months of therapy.

cause paralysis

The virus can cause paralysis in young children.

suffer from paralysis

Many people suffer from paralysis after a spinal injury.

political paralysis

The political paralysis in the government led to a shutdown.

Synonyms and how they differ

palsy

An older or medical term for paralysis, often used in specific conditions like cerebral palsy.

immobility

A more general word for not being able to move; it can refer to temporary situations, not just medical ones.

Opposites

Word family

paralyze verb

To make someone unable to move or act.

paralyzed adjective

Unable to move or act, either physically or figuratively.

paralytic adjective

Relating to paralysis or someone affected by it.

Commonly confused: paralysis or palsy? paralysis or paralegal?

Practice

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