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.
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Recent Examples of impairment
In Fekak’s case, the driver stayed at the scene, was cooperative with police and showed no signs of impairment, police spokeswoman Alyssa Arcand said earlier this week.
—
Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 29 May 2026
Details of the crash remain under investigation, however, there was no indication of impairment at the scene, according to the release.
—Aurora Beacon-News, Chicago Tribune, 29 May 2026
Some research suggests cognitive training programs can engage memory, language, executive functioning, and attention in older adults with cognitive impairment or dementia.
—Lisa Rapaport, EverydayHealth.com, 29 May 2026
At the gym inside Edgar Allan Poe Elementary Classical School in Pullman, students got a lesson in compassion while playing a game of goalball, a sport designed for athletes with visual impairments and played on volleyball courts with goals similar to soccer nets at each end of the court.
—Suzanne Le Mignot, CBS News, 28 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for impairment
Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 29 May 2026
Details of the crash remain under investigation, however, there was no indication of impairment at the scene, according to the release.
—Aurora Beacon-News, Chicago Tribune, 29 May 2026
Some research suggests cognitive training programs can engage memory, language, executive functioning, and attention in older adults with cognitive impairment or dementia.
—Lisa Rapaport, EverydayHealth.com, 29 May 2026
At the gym inside Edgar Allan Poe Elementary Classical School in Pullman, students got a lesson in compassion while playing a game of goalball, a sport designed for athletes with visual impairments and played on volleyball courts with goals similar to soccer nets at each end of the court.
—Suzanne Le Mignot, CBS News, 28 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for impairment
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impairment
Noun
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Amputation might have been the safest expedient, but the mine would have had to pay permanent disability.—
Jonathan Franzen,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
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For Social Security disability beneficiaries, gig work can offer flexibility and greater independence.—
Diane Winiarski,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Noun
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Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy appeared to escape serious injury after being involved in a violent collision during a 3-2 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on Thursday.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
5 June 2026
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Some big names won't be making the trip to North America for the World Cup due to injury problems.—
Alex Connor,
USA Today,
4 June 2026
Noun
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These can cause severe scarring or disablement and may lead to amputations.—
Jordan King,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Oct. 2025
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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
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The one that struck Elena’s building caused damage to multiple floors but no serious casualties.—
Zahra Ullah,
CNN Money,
7 June 2026
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The truth is that squirrels are a common rodent, and a little bit of damage caused by these critters might not be that big of a deal, and not worth the hassle of figuring out a bunch of different deterrents.—
Molly Burford,
Southern Living,
6 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Impairment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impairment. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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