hearing-impaired
adjective
hear·ing-im·paired
ˈhir-iŋ-im-ˈperd 
now often offensive
: hard of hearing, deaf
Note: The World Federation of the Deaf has since 1991 recommended the terms hard of hearing and deaf for people with hearing loss. Many deaf and hard of hearing people consider the term hearing-impaired offensive.
Examples of hearing-impaired in a Sentence
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Ceja’s meteoric rise is even more impressive because she was born hearing-impaired.
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Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Sep. 2025
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Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hearing-impaired.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hearing-impaired. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.
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