1
as in unsuccessful
not producing the desired result
several hamstrung attempts to reorganize the local parent-teacher association were made
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in paralyzed
unable to act or achieve one's purpose
hamstrung by recent congressional limitations on executive power, the president can do little in this situation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in crippled
to render powerless, ineffective, or unable to move
the downtown development committee claims that it's hamstrung by city ordinances protecting historic buildings
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hamstrung
Adjective
-
One game after the Oilers were unsuccessful in challenging that Bennett interfered with Stuart Skinner during the game’s first goal, Bennett toppled over Skinner after getting contact from Ekholm later in the period.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
7 June 2025 -
Efforts to reach Suncor officials for this story were unsuccessful.—
Noelle Phillips,
Denver Post,
7 June 2025
Adjective
-
More recently, in a tragic turn of events, he was left paralyzed from the chest down after being thrown from a horse during a polo tournament last year.—
Peter Aitken
Alia Shoaib,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 June 2025
-
In Facility Theatre’s new revival of the Irish playwright’s absurdist tragicomedy, the blind and paralyzed character (played by artistic director Kirk Anderson) looks like a slightly steampunk Scrooge, writes Emily McClanathan.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
27 May 2025
Verb
-
His vengeance included turning Michigan State in for NCAA violations, leading to probation that crippled the program until the late 1970s.—
Joe Rexrode,
The Athletic,
31 Dec. 2024
-
As the city litigated and revised the environmental impact report, two devastating storms in December 2023 and February 2024 — the same series that crippled San Diego’s Ocean Beach Pier — substantially damaged the wharf.—
Noah Haggerty,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
But banking on state governments to match the resources of the federal government—cash, expertise, largess—is an inefficient use of funds, as states in most cases have to stay in the black and cannot use debt for operations like a from-the-ground-up rebuild.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
29 May 2025
-
All year long the Red Sox have been plagued by inconsistent offense, inefficient pitching and inexplicable lapses on defense and on the base paths.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
28 May 2025
Adjective
-
Yet the Rocket have been outscored 15-4 through three games, looking helpless against a Checkers team that has gotten red hot at exactly the right time.—
Colin Cerniglia,
Charlotte Observer,
1 June 2025
-
From the dugout at San Siro, Lautaro Martinez and Federico Dimarco were helpless.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
Verb
-
For far too long, age discrimination has quietly undermined the security of older workers.—
Gary A. Officer,
Forbes,
26 Dec. 2024
-
He is also set on handing his successor a strong economy -- a feat that could be undermined by a sudden energy shock reprising the price spikes earlier in his administration.—
Jeff Stein and Ellen Nakashima The Washington Post,
arkansasonline.com,
25 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
Still, Marles suggested the Trump administration’s aggressive trade policies were counterproductive.—
Tara Copp,
Chicago Tribune,
31 May 2025
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At times of economic, social and planetary upheaval, best practice is counterproductive.—
Kian Bakhtiari,
Forbes.com,
25 May 2025
Adjective
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Neurologists worried that the urban environment, factory work and office jobs, and other modern pressures were making men tired, indecisive, and physically weak.—
Time,
Time,
3 June 2025
-
That kind of hypocrisy on self-enrichment could become a weak point for the GOP and a clear opening for Democrats to attack.—
Orlando Sentinel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 June 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Hamstrung.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hamstrung. Accessed 11 Jun. 2025.
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