impair

Synonym Chooser

How is the word impair distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of impair are damage, harm, hurt, injure, and mar. While all these words mean "to affect injuriously," impair suggests a making less complete or efficient by deterioration or diminution.

years of smoking had impaired his health

In what contexts can damage take the place of impair?

The meanings of damage and impair largely overlap; however, damage suggests injury that lowers value or impairs usefulness.

a table damaged in shipping

When might harm be a better fit than impair?

While the synonyms harm and impair are close in meaning, harm often stresses the inflicting of pain, suffering, or loss.

careful not to harm the animals

When could hurt be used to replace impair?

The words hurt and impair are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, hurt implies inflicting a wound to the body or to the feelings.

hurt by their callous remarks

When is injure a more appropriate choice than impair?

Although the words injure and impair have much in common, injure implies the inflicting of anything detrimental to one's looks, comfort, health, or success.

badly injured in an accident

When would mar be a good substitute for impair?

While in some cases nearly identical to impair, mar applies to injury that spoils perfection (as of a surface) or causes disfigurement.

the text is marred by many typos

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 impair But when mitochondria are impaired, this system breaks down. Andrew Monteith, The Conversation, 25 June 2025 Certain medical conditions or medications can impair the body’s ability to regulate its temperatures, for example, so affected people may need more cooling than others. Andrea Thompson, Scientific American, 24 June 2025 Evidence also suggests that heavy, long-term drinking can raise your likelihood of developing osteoporosis by stunting your calcium and vitamin D absorption, impairing your bones’ ability to build and repair their structure, and disrupting estrogen production. Alisa Hrustic, SELF, 24 June 2025 Ruggs pleaded guilty to one count of driving while impaired, resulting in death, and one count of vehicular manslaughter. Clark County District Judge Jennifer Schwartz sentenced Ruggs to a minimum of 36 months and a maximum of 120 months. Ben Morse, CNN Money, 18 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for impair
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impair
Verb
  • Clark has been injured and has struggled lately, going just 13-of-47 from three-point territory in her last three games and missing six of the Indiana Fever's 16 games this season.
    Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 1 July 2025
  • At least 968 civilians were killed and over 4,800 injured.
    Katya Soldak, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
Verb
  • There is radiological and chemical contamination at the Natanz facility, where an above-ground portion of the fuel enrichment plant was damaged after a military strike on June 13, International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Rafael Grossi told the United Nations Security Council on Friday.
    Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 21 June 2025
  • Worn restorations: Dental fillings, crowns, and restorations can also become damaged or worn over time, exposing dentin and raising the risk of tooth decay.
    Mark Gurarie, Health, 21 June 2025
Verb
  • They were marred by injuries throughout the season, having entered the season with somewhat high expectations.
    Ricardo Klein, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 June 2025
  • Sunday night’s game was marred by an injury sustained by the Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton, who early in the first quarter went down with what would prove to be a torn Achilles tendon.
    Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 23 June 2025
Verb
  • But in an unexpected ruling in 2023, the Supreme Court declined an invitation to weaken Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.
    June 27, CBS News, 27 June 2025
  • Abandoning recognition can erode motivation, diminish engagement and make employees feel invisible, weakening the cultural fabric and undermining long-term resilience.
    Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025
Verb
  • About six weeks ago, hackers crippled the computer systems of the TV and mobile phone provider Dish Network.
    Shira Ovide, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2023
  • Oakland Mills Coach: Chris Brewington Last season: Class 2A state champion Outlook: Losing the talent Oakland Mills did from last year’s outdoor season would cripple most programs, but the Scorpions have reloaded.
    Anthony Maluso, Baltimore Sun, 22 Mar. 2023
Verb
  • This would hurt even the most polished comedy or the most clockwork heist movie, let alone one that hopes to be both.
    Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 26 June 2025
  • The statement, signed by groups including the Law Society of Kenya, Police Reforms Working Group and the Kenya Medical Association, said 83 of those hurt had serious injuries and at least eight protesters were treated for gunshot wounds.
    Larry Madowo, CNN Money, 25 June 2025
Verb
  • The answer was clear—a breach that compromised credit card data and cost us our PCI DSS compliance, threatening both our reputation and our ability to process payments.
    Aleksandr Yampolskiy, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025
  • Everyone is compromised and not particularly good at their jobs, but the characters are too flat to register as meaningful.
    Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 25 June 2025
Verb
  • Chatterjee notes that this is a brand with strong retention but declining acquisition potential due to eroding external perception.
    Jeff Fromm, Forbes.com, 29 June 2025
  • Many of his directives this term have closely mirrored Project 2025, a conservative policy agenda that explicitly prioritizes eroding LGBTQ rights.
    Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 28 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Impair.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impair. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.

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