paralysis
nounUS /pəˈɹæləsəs/
Etymology Borrowed from Latin paralysis, from Ancient Greek παράλυσις (parálusis, “palsy”), from παραλύω (paralúō, “to disable on one side”). By surface analysis, para- + -lysis. Doublet of palsy.
2
A state of being unable to act.
- The government has been in a paralysis since it lost its majority in the parliament.
- Until then, the Sunak administration remains a study in ineffectuality on multiple fronts, leading Goldsmith to cite, not unreasonably, “a kind of paralysis”.2023 June 30, Marina Hyde, “The tide is coming in fast on Rishi Sunak – and it’s full of sewage”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 05 Aug 2023:
1 more example
- Will this decision-making paralysis continue until Great British Railways has been established and settled into a new rhythm? If so, passengers on the West of England line are in for a rough ride, as the reliability of these tired old British Rail trains inevitably declines, and maintenance costs rise.2026 February 18, Paul Clifton, “West of England Line problems laid bare”, in RAIL, page 7:
- Synonyms
- immobility, palsy
- Derived terms
28 terms
acroparalysis, analysis paralysis, angioparalysis, Australian paralysis tick, Brown-Séquard's paralysis, Chronic bee paralysis virus, chronic bee paralysis virus, fowl paralysis, general paralysis, general paralysis of the insane, hemiparalysis, immunoparalysis, infantile paralysis, iridoparalysis, keraunoparalysis, laryngoparalysis, neuroparalysis, paralysis agitans, paralysis by analysis, paralysis tick, pseudoparalysis, pyjama paralysis, semiparalysis, sleep paralysis, stethoparalysis, telegrapher's paralysis, tick paralysis, vasoparalysis