cripple
noun · verb
Simple meaning
Someone who is severely impaired or deficient in some non-physical way.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
kripuhlSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈkɹɪpəl
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
by extensionfigurative
A person who is severely impaired or deficient in some non-physical way.
A shortened wooden stud or brace used to construct the portion of a wall above a door or above and below a window.
verb
figuratively
To damage seriously; to destroy.
To release a product (especially a computer program) with reduced functionality, in some cases, making the item essentially worthless.
figuratively
To cause severe and disabling damage; to make unable to function normally.
To make someone a cripple; to cause someone to become physically impaired.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Primarily written
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A person who is severely impaired or deficient in some non-physical way.
Used this way, cripple is a reasonably familiar word with a clearly unfavourable pull. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Negative
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Serious and weighty
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use cripple
- “The accident has crippled her for life.”verb
- “This measure crippled our efforts.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: to damage seriously
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.