Meaning & use
paraplegic
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountablemedical
A person who has lost the ability to move or feel the lower half of the body, usually because of a spinal injury.
Grammar: Countable; plural paraplegics. Many people prefer the person-first phrase a person with paraplegia, especially in formal writing.
Patterns
- a paraplegic
- become paraplegic
- paraplegics who compete
After the accident he became a paraplegic, but he continued to work as an engineer.
The charity supports paraplegics adapting their homes for wheelchair access.
adjectivebefore a nounmedical
Relating to paralysis of the lower body, or describing a person affected in this way.
Grammar: Used before a noun: paraplegic athlete, paraplegic patients; not usually after linking verbs.
Patterns
- paraplegic athlete
- paraplegic patient
- paraplegic sports
She won gold in the paraplegic skiing category at the Winter Paralympics.
The clinic offers specialized rehabilitation for paraplegic patients.
Word forms
| plural | paraplegics |
|---|
Common combinations
- paraplegic athlete
- The magazine profiled a paraplegic athlete training for the Paralympics.
- paraplegic patient
- Physical therapists design individual programs for each paraplegic patient.
- become paraplegic
- He became paraplegic after a diving accident at seventeen.
Synonyms and how they differ
- paraplegia
- This is the noun for the condition itself, not the person; a person with paraplegia is the formal, person-first alternative.
Word family
- paraplegia noun
- Paralysis of the lower half of the body; the medical name of the condition.
- paralyze verb
- To cause loss of movement or feeling in part or all of the body.
Commonly confused: paraplegic or quadriplegic?
paraplegic vs quadriplegic
A quadriplegic cannot move or feel all four limbs, whereas a paraplegic is affected only below the waist.
Practice
Unlike a quadriplegic, a paraplegic has lost movement and feeling ______.
Choose one answer.
Paraplegia affects only the lower body, typically after a spinal injury. Loss of movement in all four limbs describes quadriplegia, the tempting wrong choice here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “paraplegic”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.