quadriplegic
Americanadjective
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having quadriplegia; paralyzed from the neck down or in all four limbs as a result of disease or injury.
noun
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a person who is paralyzed in this way.
Etymology
Origin of quadriplegic
First recorded in 1960–65; quadripleg(ia) + -ic
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.
He fell into a coma, became incontinent and quadriplegic.
From Barron's • Jan. 29, 2026
But I represented a young Black man who was quadriplegic whose elderly parents tried to help get him an ID several times, unsuccessfully.
From Slate • Oct. 2, 2024
Because Jenina, now quadriplegic, still needs care throughout the night, “I get maybe five hours of sleep a night. ... And when I’m tired that can compromise her safety,” Tyler Marik said.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 30, 2024
When I met her she was a paraplegic; eventually she became a quadriplegic.
From New York Times • Jun. 19, 2024
I sat one day with a man who’d gone off young and healthy to an overseas deployment, leaving behind a pregnant wife, and had come back quadriplegic, unable to move his arms or legs.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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.