paraplegic
Americanadjective
noun
adjective
noun
Etymology
Origin of paraplegic
First recorded in 1820–30; from New Latin paraplēgicus, from Ionic Greek paraplēgikós; see origin at 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.
The Me Before You series follows the life of Louisa Clark, a working-class girl who ends up as a carer for paraplegic Will Traynor, a wealthy man who is paralysed after a motorcycle accident.
From BBC • Dec. 28, 2025
When I met her she was a paraplegic; eventually she became a quadriplegic.
From New York Times • Jun. 19, 2024
In 2014, the first kick of the World Cup was made by a paraplegic man using a mind-controlled robotic exoskeleton.
From Salon • Jan. 18, 2024
So, taking a cue from Mark Wellman, the first paraplegic to climb El Capitan in 1989, they rigged climbing ropes with a specially designed pulley system.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 11, 2024
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.