as in impaired
deprived of the power to perform one or more natural bodily activities
the disabled man was unable to climb the stairs without help
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in crippled
to cause severe or permanent injury to
a promising athlete who was severely disabled in a plane crash
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in paralyzed
to render powerless, ineffective, or unable to move
disabled the controls for unauthorized users
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of disabled
Todd Feurer, CBS News, 12 May 2026
At 62, Savinski retired from working cleaning jobs because of her deteriorating health, but she isn’t legally designated as disabled.
—Shannon Pettypiece, NBC news, 11 May 2026
Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 1 May 2026
Some of these technologies are essential for ensuring the proper functioning of the service or website and cannot be disabled, while others are optional but serve to enhance the user experience in various ways.
—Walden Green, Pitchfork, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for disabled
Adjective
That driver's car then became disabled at the scene, and the driver ran off.
—Todd Feurer, CBS News, 12 May 2026
At 62, Savinski retired from working cleaning jobs because of her deteriorating health, but she isn’t legally designated as disabled.
—Shannon Pettypiece, NBC news, 11 May 2026
Verb
Many losing coverage are enrollees who meet requirements but are dropped for paperwork issues or failure to prove exemptions, such as being disabled, the group said.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 1 May 2026
Some of these technologies are essential for ensuring the proper functioning of the service or website and cannot be disabled, while others are optional but serve to enhance the user experience in various ways.
—Walden Green, Pitchfork, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for disabled
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disabled
Adjective
-
Locations are chosen based on impaired-driving crashes, and first-time DUI offenders face average fines and penalties of $13,500.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
15 May 2026
-
The short-term effects can include dizziness, slurred speech, poor coordination, nausea and impaired judgment.—
Katia Hetter,
CNN Money,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
But his personal and party polls are dismal, crippled by what critics and analysts say has been a series of unforced errors.—
Alexander Smith,
NBC news,
12 May 2026
-
That has crippled Iran’s two biggest non-oil exports, and higher prices have affected everything from plastics to pipes, to fabrics and packaging for groceries like milk, butter and cheese.—
Amir-Hussein Radjy,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
April 21, 1976, when Porter was paralyzed after fracturing his neck in a collision during spring practice.—
Mitch Sherman,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
-
Thousands of North American schools and universities were paralyzed Thursday after a ransomware attack on a key educational software provider.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
8 May 2026
Adjective
-
Toulouse pride themselves on a blend of youth and experience in their ranks, but this teenager was exceptional.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
-
This may seem especially strange given birds’ exceptional vision.—
Yasemin Saplakoglu,
Quanta Magazine,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
Norman Hunter, 48, of Dolton, also was struck by a car while incapacitated, the medical examiner’s office said.—
Evy Lewis,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
-
The film, starring Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson and slated to hit theaters October 2, follows Lowen Ashleigh (Johnson), a struggling writer who is hired to complete a successful book series after its author, Verity Crawford (Hathaway), is incapacitated.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In 2015, a jury sentenced Dzhokhar Tsarnaev to death for the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing that killed three and left more than 260 wounded.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
15 May 2026
-
Lebanon’s Health Ministry reported Friday at least 37 people, including hospital staffers, women, children and a Canadian national, were wounded in Israeli strikes on towns in Lebanon’s Tyre District in the southern part of the country on the coast on the Mediterranean Sea.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
The district attorney’s office also has filed felony child endangerment charges against a Yorba Linda father whose 12-year-old son was critically injured after crashing a modified e-motorcycle allegedly capable of speeds up to 60 mph.—
Sydney Barragan,
Oc Register,
14 May 2026
-
Carter formed a duo with friend and singer Calvin Scott, but his collaborator was later seriously injured in an automobile accident.—
Alexandra Del Rosario,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Disabled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disabled. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
