paraplegic
Americanadjective
noun
adjective
noun
Etymology
Origin of paraplegic
First recorded in 1820–30; from New Latin paraplēgicus, from Ionic Greek paraplēgikós; paraplegia ( def. )
Explanation
To be paraplegic is to be unable to use the lower half of your body. People with this disability are called paraplegics. Paraplegic is a medical word for being paralyzed from the waist down. If you're paraplegic, you can't move your legs or anything below the waist, and you have no feeling in those areas either. People usually get this condition because of damage to the spinal cord, which could result from a disease or an accident. Paraplegics often use wheelchairs to get around. This word is similar to quadriplegic, referring to people who are paralyzed from the neck down.
Vocabulary lists containing paraplegic
This Week in Pop Culture: January 12 -18, 2019
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The View from Saturday
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for January 3–January 9, 2026
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Joseph Tusia seemed to be running a legitimate business, hiring paraplegic employees.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 10, 2024
When I met her she was a paraplegic; eventually she became a quadriplegic.
From New York Times • Jun. 19, 2024
He was left with a dislocated spinal cord, which left him a paraplegic.
From BBC • Oct. 13, 2023
And even more recently, NBC's big box store sitcom "Superstore," which wrapped in 2021, saw able-bodied actor Colton Dunn starring as paraplegic employee Garrett.
From Salon • Oct. 2, 2023
As she wrote paraplegic, Mrs. Olinski spelled it out, "P-A-R-A-P-L-E-G-I-C. It means that I am paralyzed from the waist down."
From "The View From Saturday" by E.L. Konigsburg
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
