disabled

adjective

dis·​abled dis-ˈā-bəld 

diz-ˈā-

1

a

: impaired or limited by a physical, mental, cognitive, or developmental condition : affected by disability

Decades of government policy and a Supreme Court decision … have established that public services for all disabled people must be provided in the least restrictive and most integrated environment possible.

—Sallie Tisdale

For disabled travelers—or anyone nursing an injury—successful trips require planning. … Rugged or remote areas may require some give and take on your part, including physical assistance or workarounds.

—Linda Burbank

… 4,000 disabled athletes from 125 nations competing in 18 sports.

—John Shaw

b

: incapacitated by illness or injury

… 17.4% of all match-ending injuries, were attributable to OT (orthopedic trauma). Two such stoppages involved multiple roundhouse kicks directed at the lateral aspect of the knee. The disabled competitors were unable to continue because of marked pain with weight bearing.

—George J. Buse and Robert M. Wood

2

of a device or mechanism : rendered inoperative (as by being damaged or deliberately altered)

a disabled alarm

They would have pulled out but they were waiting on the Iraqi police to finish their report and there was the issue of the disabled fuel truck …

—David Abrams

Synonyms of disabled

• impaired
• exceptional

Examples of disabled in a Sentence

The organization is working to protect the rights of disabled veterans.

the disabled man was unable to climb the stairs without help

Recent Examples on the Web

In December 2023, Quigley killed Angelo Schettino, a passenger in a disabled van. —Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 26 Apr. 2026

Tourism agencies dedicated to serving disabled travelers have sprung up, too. —ABC News, 25 Apr. 2026

Eventually, a vehicle crashed into the back of that disabled vehicle. —Austin Turner, CBS News, 25 Apr. 2026

More than 600,000 disabled or elderly people are estimated to be on waitlists for services nationwide, and advocates say low pay and difficult working conditions have led to a chronic shortage of home-care workers. —Mike Hixenbaugh, NBC news, 23 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

from past participle of disable

First Known Use

1633, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing disabled

• disabled list
• intellectually disabled
• the disabled
• the intellectually disabled

Rhymes for disabled

• enabled
• mislabeled
• unlabeled
• unlabelled
• abled
• cabled
• fabled
• gabled
• labeled
• labelled
• stabled
• tabled

Kids Definition

disabled

adjective

: deprived of the power to perform one or more tasks (as climbing stairs or lifting heavy items) by illness or injury

also : functioning physically or mentally below normal levels in a way that limits or interferes with one's ability to receive an education or perform a job

Medical Definition

disabled

adjective

dis·​abled

1

: impaired or limited by a physical, mental, cognitive, or developmental condition : affected by disability

2

: incapacitated by illness, injury, or wounds

Legal Definition

disabled

adjective

: having a disability