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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for handcuffed
Adjective
-
Hosts aren’t totally helpless in the face of these wasps.—
Avery Hurt,
Discover Magazine,
14 July 2025 -
Granted, Jess is helpless, and in classic Lena Dunham fashion, more than a bit of this episode is dedicated to showing off her flaws.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
10 July 2025
Verb
-
This can include exploding upward with a vertical jump, bounding side to side, or swiftly changing directions.—
Jenny McCoy,
SELF,
15 July 2025
-
Thanks to his coveted slot, Young bounds up the charts in the United Kingdom, as such a coveted slot can lead to a huge uptick in consumption.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
11 July 2025
Adjective
-
Carl Schulze, of Neenah, has used a wheelchair since 2007, when an accident severed his spinal cord and left him completely paralyzed.—
Madeline Heim,
jsonline.com,
26 July 2025
-
In June 2022, his face was left partially paralyzed following a Ramsay Hunt Syndrome diagnosis, which forced him to halt his Justice tour and then cancel it entirely.—
Althea Legaspi,
Rolling Stone,
23 July 2025
Verb
-
But the Vikings are just as formidable — top 10 in points for and against and tied for the most takeaways in football.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
The Athletic,
5 Jan. 2025
-
Williams tied a career high with four made 3-pointers, and Keon Johnson tied a career high with eight assists.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
5 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
The provision was ratified in the late nineteen-eighties, but conservatives allied with the country’s agricultural lobby have long impeded its enforcement.—
Julian Lucas,
The New Yorker,
24 Feb. 2025
-
Poor governance and economic stewardship have impeded the region’s development and generated the grievances behind the Arab Spring.—
Marwan Muasher,
Foreign Affairs,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Witness the rally in the railroads last week that crushed shorts banking on weaker transport earnings.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
21 July 2025
-
This weak cash generation capability raises questions about the company’s ability to fund growth investments and return capital to shareholders.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
21 July 2025
Verb
-
The status of the third remained unknown, but snow obstructed a full view of the nest.—
Amanda Kooser,
Forbes,
14 Mar. 2025
-
Yoon apologized for his brief martial law decree, but later doubled down and defended the move, arguing the liberal party obstructed his political agenda.—
Sophia Vento,
The Hill,
8 Mar. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Handcuffed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/handcuffed. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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