as in disabled
deprived of the power to perform one or more natural bodily activities
won a gold medal 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
Though some employees are differently abled or require more help than others, Alyse said they are held to the same standards — high ones, as is evident to anyone who dines at Freeland’s.
—Bradley Hohulin, IndyStar, 20 Feb. 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
Though some employees are differently abled or require more help than others, Alyse said they are held to the same standards — high ones, as is evident to anyone who dines at Freeland’s.
—Bradley Hohulin, IndyStar, 20 Feb. 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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Users who register as younger than 13 will automatically get a Cabined Account that requires parental consent via email and voice/text chat, spending money and custom display names are disabled unless a parent provides consent.—
Katie Wiseman,
IndyStar,
4 Feb. 2026
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These individuals are often left destitute, disabled, and in chronic pain from medically unnecessary procedures.—
Elizabeth Heck,
New York Daily News,
4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
He had previously been charged with speeding, driving without a license and driving while impaired, court records show.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Left unchecked, those feelings can worsen into sleepless nights, a loss of appetite, inability to focus, impaired relationships, depression and even physical illness.—
Hunter Boyce,
AJC.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Differently abled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/differently%20abled. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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