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Synonyms for cripple
verb disable; make lame

paralyze
immobilize
sap
injure
debilitate
incapacitate
hurt

hamstring
stifle
undermine
weaken
prostrate
lame
blunt

attenuate
disarm
dismember
enfeeble
sideline
maim
mutilate

mangle
palsy
dislimb
unstrengthen

Antonyms for cripple

mobilize
aid
assist
heal
mend

enable
help
strengthen
cure
repair

support
allow
capacitate
encourage

Synonyms
verb hinder action, progress

hamstring
halt
ruin

damage
impair
destroy

stifle
cramp
vitiate

spoil
bring to standstill
put out of action

Antonyms

construct
create
improve
aid
assist

enable
build
repair
help
strengthen

support
allow
capacitate
encourage

Usage Notes

When referring to someone for whom it is difficult or impossible to walk or move without some kind of external aid like crutches or a wheelchair, sensitivity is called for. The words cripple and crippled are no longer considered appropriate. Although these terms have been in use since before the year 950, since the mid-1900s they have become increasingly uncommon and are now regarded as insulting. Since the late 20th century, the terms handicapped and the handicapped, once thought to be acceptable alternatives, have also become somewhat offensive. (Handicapped remains acceptable, however, in certain set phrases like handicapped parking.) Attempts to replace crippled with the milder euphemistic term physically challenged were sidetracked by a virtual explosion of satirical imitations like economically challenged (poor), ethically challenged (immoral), and vertically challenged (short). The currently acceptable terms are disabled and, when referring to groups, the phrase people with disabilities, or somewhat less commonly, the disabled. These terms are not only less likely to offend, they are more useful. While cripple and crippled traditionally denoted permanent impairments of one or more limbs, disabled is a broader, more comprehensive word that can refer to many different kinds of physical or mental impairments, whether temporary or permanent. cripple and crippled are not deemed offensive when referring to an inanimate object or an animal. And cripple can be used freely as a verb, especially metaphorically, as in Failing to upgrade the computer system will cripple our business. See also retarded.