paralytic

P3A1R1A1L1Y4T1I1C3
/ˌpæɹəˈlɪtɪk/

noun

Someone suffering from paralysis.

UncommonScrabble 16

Meanings

nounparalytic (plural paralytics)

plural paralytics · alternative obsolete paralytick · alternative Ireland parlatic · alternative Geordie palatic · alternative Geordie pallatic

  1. Someone suffering from paralysis.
    1 more example

    Quoth I to myself, "Haply this Shaykh is of those who were wrecked in the ship and hath made his way to this island." So I drew near to him and saluted him, and he returned my salam by signs, but spoke not; and I said to him, "O nuncle mine, what causeth thee to sit here?" He shook his head and moaned and signed to me with his hand as who should say, "Take me on thy shoulders and carry me to the other side of the well-channel." And quoth I in my mind, "I will deal kindly with him and do what he desireth; it may be I shall win me a reward in Heaven for he may be a paralytic."

    1885, Richard F. Burton, The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night
  2. A drug that produces paralysis.

    For example, use of paralytics in morbidly obese patients or those with spinal instability can precipitate complete upper airway obstruction.

    2010, John J. Marini, Critical Care Medicine: The Essentials, page 312
adjectiveparalytic (comparative more paralytic, superlative most paralytic)

comparative more paralytic · superlative most paralytic · alternative obsolete paralytick · alternative Ireland parlatic · alternative Geordie palatic · alternative Geordie pallatic

  1. Affected by paralysis; paralysed.

    the cold, shaking, paralytic hand

    1718, Mat[thew] Prior, “Solomon on the Vanity of the World. A Poem in Three Books.”, in Poems on Several Occasions, London: […] Jacob Tonson […], and John Barber […], →OCLC, (please specify the page)

    Synonyms: frozen, immobilized

  2. Pertaining to paralysis.
  3. AustraliaIrelandUKslangVery drunk.

    He hasn't even been openly accused of anything bar drinking himself paralytic at a time that, in hindsight, was inconvenient.

    2001 May 24, Peter Ryan, “ablett no from hall of fame”, in aus.sport.aussie-rules (Usenet)
    3 more examples

    Are the para-olympics the events in which the olympians, having finished their events in the normal olympics, go out and get pissed and then compete again? ie: the para-olympics become the paralytic olympics.

    1996 August 18, Ben McCulloch, “Para-olympics”, in aus.jokes (Usenet)

    I'm amazed I survived so much drunken driving. Once he was so paralytic he even made me drive, and I was about 14 and barely able to see above the steering wheel. At least it was an automatic.

    1999 January 3, David McLoughlin, “Gundagai - Last Use Of Line?”, in aus.rail (Usenet)

    On returning to his friends at the bar he remarked " there's a fellow in the jaxx and he's just paralytic. He must be heading for the boat and didn't quite make it."

    2002 April 16, C e r b e r u s - T h e D o g O f H e l l, “On the Isle of Man.”, in free.jokes (Usenet)

    Synonyms: drunk

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveAffected by paralysis; paralysed.

adjectiveVery drunk.

Similar

More synonyms by meaning

adjectiverelating to or of the nature of paralysis

adjectiveaffected with paralysis

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekπαραλυτικός“paralyzed”
  2. Latinparalyticus
  3. Frenchparalytique
  4. Englishparalytic

Borrowed from French paralytique, from Latin paralyticus, from Ancient Greek παραλυτικός (paralutikós, “paralyzed”).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan paralític, paralític
  • paralíticperson suffering from paralysis
  • paralíticaffected by paralysis
  • paralíticpertaining to paralysis
Esperanto paralizulo
  • paralizuloperson suffering from paralysis
Finnish halvaantunut
  • halvaantunutaffected by paralysis
French paralytique
  • paralytiqueperson suffering from paralysis
German paralysiert, paralytisch
  • paralysiertaffected by paralysis
  • paralytischaffected by paralysis
  • gelähmtaffected by paralysis
Italian paralitico, paralitica
  • paraliticoperson suffering from paralysis
  • paraliticaperson suffering from paralysis
  • paraliticoaffected by paralysis
  • paraliticopertaining to paralysis
Māori pararūtiki
  • pararūtikiperson suffering from paralysis
Polish paralityk, paralityczka
  • paralitykperson suffering from paralysis
  • paralityczkaperson suffering from paralysis
Portuguese paralítico, paralítica
  • paralíticoperson suffering from paralysis
  • paralíticaperson suffering from paralysis
  • paralíticoaffected by paralysis
Romanian paralitic, paralitică
  • paraliticperson suffering from paralysis
  • paraliticăperson suffering from paralysis
  • paraliticaffected by paralysis
  • paraliticpertaining to paralysis
Russian парали́тик, паралити́чка
  • парали́тик (paralítik)person suffering from paralysis
  • паралити́чка (paralitíčka)person suffering from paralysis
  • парализо́ванный (paralizóvannyj)affected by paralysis
  • паралити́ческий (paralitíčeskij)affected by paralysis
  • паралити́ческий (paralitíčeskij)pertaining to paralysis
Spanish paralítico, paralítica
  • paralíticoperson suffering from paralysis
  • paralíticaperson suffering from paralysis
  • paralíticoaffected by paralysis

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with paralytic

All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

paralytic. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/paralytic

MLA

“paralytic.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/paralytic. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “paralytic,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/paralytic.

Source: paralytic on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.