crippling
crippling Lexical Profile
crippling Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Causing severe damage, extreme difficulty, or an inability to function normally.
"The small business struggled to recover from the crippling financial losses caused by the prolonged supply chain disruption."
Causing a person to become physically disabled or unable to walk or move properly.
"Vaccination campaigns around the world have nearly eradicated the crippling disease of polio."
Word Nuance & Usage
While the base noun and verb forms are considered offensive when referring to people with physical disabilities, the adjective 'crippling' remains widely used in standard English to describe severe non-physical burdens, such as 'crippling debt' or 'crippling anxiety.'
• Rhymes for crippling
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed from the verb 'cripple' plus the participial suffix '-ing', ultimately tracing back to the Old English 'crypel', related to 'creopan' ('to creep').