intellectual disability

noun

: mild to severe impairment in intellectual ability equivalent to an IQ of 70 to 75 or below that is accompanied by significant limitations in social, practical, and conceptual skills (as in interpersonal communication, reasoning, or self-care) necessary for independent daily functioning and that has an onset before age 18

Note: The term intellectual disability is now preferred over mental retardation in medical, educational, and regulatory contexts, as well as in general use. The term mental retardation is increasingly considered offensive, though it was the dominant term into the second decade of the current century.

Examples of intellectual disability in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

An unlikely duo in the state decided to join forces last year after judges began releasing potentially dangerous defendants suffering from mental health disorders, intellectual disabilities and traumatic brain injuries with no supervision or treatment. —Shaun Boyd, CBS News, 27 Mar. 2026

Williams’ 2000 death sentence was reduced to life without parole because the boy has a severe intellectual disability, according to court documents. —Richard A. Webster, ProPublica, 24 Mar. 2026

Brain swelling from encephalitis can lead to convulsions, permanent hearing loss, intellectual disability and death, according to the CDC. —Kristen Jordan Shamus, Freep.com, 19 Mar. 2026

Two months later, a new drivers facility was opened within Communities Transform Futures, or CTF Illinois, a nonprofit organization that offers day programs to individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities. —Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 12 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1809, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for intellectual disability

• ability
• agility
• civility
• debility
• docility
• ductility
• facility
• fertility
• fragility
• futility
• gentility
• hostility

Kids Definition

intellectual disability

noun

: mild to severe impairment in intellectual ability accompanied by significant limitations in skills (as in communication, reasoning, or self-care) necessary for independent daily functioning

Medical Definition

intellectual disability

noun

: mild to severe impairment in intellectual ability equivalent to an IQ of 70 to 75 or below that is accompanied by significant limitations in social, practical, and conceptual skills (as in interpersonal communication, reasoning, or self-care) necessary for independent daily functioning and that has an onset before age 18

Note: The term intellectual disability is now preferred over mental retardation in medical, educational, and regulatory contexts, as well as in general use. The term mental retardation is increasingly considered offensive, though it was the dominant term into the second decade of the current century.

… Rosa's Law, which changed references in federal law from "mental retardation" to "intellectual disability" and references to a mentally retarded individual to an individual with an intellectual disability.

—Victor R. Martinez