as in disabled
deprived of the power to perform one or more natural bodily activities
won a gold metal in the Paralympics, an international Olympic competition for the differently abled
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Recent Examples of differently abled
With Children, director Randa Haines managed to break new ground for representation and set new standards for authentic filmmaking, while tackling deeply complex issues of identity and the differently abled’s place in society.
—
John Ortved, Vogue, 28 Nov. 2025
Holy Angels is a nonprofit organization that employs differently abled individuals and puts the profits from its businesses back into supporting people with disabilities.
—Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 22 Aug. 2025
For Lamb, meaningful inclusion means building systems that support both the gifted and the differently abled.
—Jennifer Jay Palumbo, Forbes.com, 6 May 2025
This is a president who, while campaigning for his first term in office, imitated the arm motions of a New York Times reporter who is differently abled.
—Megha Satyanarayana, Scientific American, 28 Mar. 2025
Adopting Ash showed Isom, of Houston, Texas, that there are many other cats out there who are differently abled but still deserve to be loved.
—Joel Thayer, Newsweek, 27 Jan. 2025
Its wellness pool has a ramp for wheelchairs to encourage differently abled to make the most of these soothing waters, which provide relief to tired joints and muscles or nurture sensitive skin.
—Savannah Romero, Outside Online, 6 Oct. 2023
The nonprofit also glommed onto the fact that technology trials for sortation and other forms of preparation must be a priority because many of its employees are differently abled, meaning that adaptations will need to be made.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 3 Sep. 2019
John Ortved, Vogue, 28 Nov. 2025
Holy Angels is a nonprofit organization that employs differently abled individuals and puts the profits from its businesses back into supporting people with disabilities.
—Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 22 Aug. 2025
For Lamb, meaningful inclusion means building systems that support both the gifted and the differently abled.
—Jennifer Jay Palumbo, Forbes.com, 6 May 2025
This is a president who, while campaigning for his first term in office, imitated the arm motions of a New York Times reporter who is differently abled.
—Megha Satyanarayana, Scientific American, 28 Mar. 2025
Adopting Ash showed Isom, of Houston, Texas, that there are many other cats out there who are differently abled but still deserve to be loved.
—Joel Thayer, Newsweek, 27 Jan. 2025
Its wellness pool has a ramp for wheelchairs to encourage differently abled to make the most of these soothing waters, which provide relief to tired joints and muscles or nurture sensitive skin.
—Savannah Romero, Outside Online, 6 Oct. 2023
The nonprofit also glommed onto the fact that technology trials for sortation and other forms of preparation must be a priority because many of its employees are differently abled, meaning that adaptations will need to be made.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for differently abled
Adjective
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Patricia Stone, disabled, spoke from her hospital bed in their living room.—
Nathan Pilling,
Kansas City Star,
9 Jan. 2026
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By October of that year, Do and other doctors working for Liberty began billing California’s Subsequent Injuries Benefits Trust Fund, a workers’ compensation fund for individuals already disabled or impaired at the time of a workplace injury, according to the plea agreement.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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There was also an accumulation of p62, a marker protein that accumulates when autophagy is impaired.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
8 Nov. 2025
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Dementia is a group of conditions involving memory loss and impaired thinking and problem-solving skills that impair the person's daily life.—
Verywell Health,
Verywell Health,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Differently abled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/differently%20abled. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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