as in disability
a condition in which a part of your body or mind is damaged and does not work well
Her mother had a hearing impairment that had become worse with age.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
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 impairment
The Paralympics feature athletes with eight kinds of physical disabilities (including limb deficiency and impaired muscle power) as well as vision and intellectual impairment.
—
Rachel Treisman, NPR, 6 Mar. 2026
Brady is seeking monetary relief of over $1 million and damages for physical pain and mental anguish, lost wages, physical impairment and medical expenses.
—Andrea Guzmán, Austin American Statesman, 6 Mar. 2026
There are two categories for men with lower-limb impairments and one for those with upper-limb impairments, while there is one category for women with lower-limb impairments.
—ABC News, 6 Mar. 2026
The social model of impairments is particularly relevant within sports.
—Liam Tharme, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for impairment
Rachel Treisman, NPR, 6 Mar. 2026
Brady is seeking monetary relief of over $1 million and damages for physical pain and mental anguish, lost wages, physical impairment and medical expenses.
—Andrea Guzmán, Austin American Statesman, 6 Mar. 2026
There are two categories for men with lower-limb impairments and one for those with upper-limb impairments, while there is one category for women with lower-limb impairments.
—ABC News, 6 Mar. 2026
The social model of impairments is particularly relevant within sports.
—Liam Tharme, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for impairment
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impairment
Noun
-
Beneficiaries are people with limited income who are either blind, aged 65 and older, or have a qualifying disability.—
Asher Notheis,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Mar. 2026
-
To qualify for Medicaid in Florida, a working-age adult without a disability must generally be caring for a child or an older or disabled family member and cannot earn more than 26% of the federal poverty level, or about $592 a month for a family of three.—
Daniel Chang,
Miami Herald,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
He was sidelined for 45 of the Heat’s first 56 games this season because of injuries.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
13 Mar. 2026
-
More recently, Matt Cooke was suspended for seven games during the 2014 playoffs for kneeing Tyson Barrie and causing an injury.—
James Mirtle,
New York Times,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
These can cause severe scarring or disablement and may lead to amputations.—
Jordan King,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Oct. 2025
-
Playing Arnie, the younger brother to Gilbert (Johnny Depp), DiCaprio doesn’t permit his character to be a simple, adorable variation on disablement.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Severe thunderstorms that began in northern Indiana appeared to spawn multiple tornadoes in southern Michigan the previous day, said meteorologist Lonnie Fisher of the National Weather Service, which sent teams to the region to evaluate damage and confirm tornadoes.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Mar. 2026
-
The selenium in mushrooms also helps your body make antioxidants that prevent cell damage, Zumpano said, and the vitamin B6 helps your body make red blood cells and supports your central nervous system.—
Maggie O'Neill,
Verywell Health,
8 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Impairment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impairment. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
