: capable of unimpaired function
Again, the design is physically helpful for the less abled, more comfortable because it eliminates the strap-across-the-lower-neck sensation of standard belts …Royal Ford

Examples of abled in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
For the Mohegan tribe that runs the resort and casino, the strong presence of differently abled employees is not about government mandates, but about the Mohegan tribe’s philosophy and way of life. Pamela McLoughlin, Hartford Courant, 24 July 2025 The festival is curated exclusively by artists with visible and non-visible disabilities and includes features and shorts made by underrepresented, differently abled filmmakers. Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 15 Apr. 2025 The norm that every abled person receiving cash payments should be seeking a job can also be challenged. Michael W. Howard, Scientific American, 6 Jan. 2023 Born Nadia, Vicky was raised at the Red River Institute, a group home for super-abled children that's owned by a subsidiary of Vought International. Nick Romano, EW.com, 3 June 2022 From senior citizens to an abled person curious about alternative ways to ride a bike, the program is welcoming. Steven Aquino, Forbes, 13 May 2022 There are sick bodies and bodies with disabilities, both of which require their inhabitants to navigate different landscapes than the ones encountered by healthy or abled people. Dana Snitzky, Longreads, 18 Sep. 2019

Word History

Etymology

extracted from disabled

First Known Use

1946, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of abled was in 1946

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Abled.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abled. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

Medical Definition

abled

adjective
: capable of unimpaired function
the senior citizens, those less abled in some wayRichard Hair
compare differently abled

More from Merriam-Webster on abled

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!