cripple
cripple Lexical Profile
cripple Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To cause severe and disabling damage to a system, organization, or economy, rendering it unable to function effectively.
"Rising inflation and supply chain disruptions threatened to cripple the regional manufacturing sector."
To cause a severe and disabling injury to a person or animal, depriving them of the normal use of a limb.
"A severe childhood illness threatened to cripple the young athlete before modern treatment intervened."
• noun
A person who is partially or totally unable to use one or more limbs (now dated and considered offensive).
"The historical novel depicted the struggles of a nineteenth-century war cripple returning home."
A person who is severely unable to function normally in an emotional or social capacity.
"Years of isolation had left him an emotional cripple unable to form close friendships."
Word Nuance & Usage
As a noun referring to a person with a physical disability, 'cripple' is now considered dated and offensive; neutral terms such as 'person with a disability' are preferred in modern usage. However, the verb form meaning to severely damage or impair an organization, system, or economy remains standard and widely used.
• Rhymes for cripple
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English crypel, derived from the Proto-Germanic base *krup-, meaning 'to bend' or 'to creep', sharing an ancient root with the verb 'creep'.