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

His attorneys argued he should be spared, citing unreliable bite mark evidence and questions about his intellectual disability. —Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 26 Sep. 2025

In an initial analysis that didn’t control for genetic factors, the researchers found a small association between women who used acetaminophen during pregnancy and the incidence of autism, ADHD, and intellectual disability. —Dominique Mosbergen, Time, 23 Sep. 2025

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said in a Facebook post that more than two decades of research have found no causal link between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and autism, ADHD or intellectual disability in children. —Marina Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal, 23 Sep. 2025

However, other autism researchers have pointed to a large study last year published in the Journal of the American Medical Association that found no link between acetaminophen use in pregnancy and autism, ADHD or intellectual disability. —Erika Edwards, NBC news, 22 Sep. 2025

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