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
University of Cambridge View gallery - 4 images Speech impairment, known as dysarthria, is a very common consequence of strokes, affecting nearly half of all survivors.
—
Maryna Holovnova, New Atlas, 21 Jan. 2026
Cosmic radiation poses a series of risks, such as cognitive impairment and blood-brain barrier damage.
—Chas Newkey-Burden, TheWeek, 21 Jan. 2026
The measure would preserve all field sobriety testing tools to identify real-time impairment and focus the laws on fair and enforceable safety laws.
—Josh Kelly, Oklahoman, 20 Jan. 2026
This approach helps prevent sudden asset impairments, insurance gaps and operational disruptions that would otherwise hit the balance sheet without warning.
—Dianne Plummer, Forbes.com, 18 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for impairment
Maryna Holovnova, New Atlas, 21 Jan. 2026
Cosmic radiation poses a series of risks, such as cognitive impairment and blood-brain barrier damage.
—Chas Newkey-Burden, TheWeek, 21 Jan. 2026
The measure would preserve all field sobriety testing tools to identify real-time impairment and focus the laws on fair and enforceable safety laws.
—Josh Kelly, Oklahoman, 20 Jan. 2026
This approach helps prevent sudden asset impairments, insurance gaps and operational disruptions that would otherwise hit the balance sheet without warning.
—Dianne Plummer, Forbes.com, 18 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for impairment
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impairment
Noun
-
People getting handicap parking permits without a disability are in hot water.—
Larry Seward,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Black and Hispanic Americans, young adults, and people with disabilities are more likely to be unbanked than other people, and 1 in 5 unbanked households include someone with a disability.—
Beverly Moran,
The Conversation,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
At least four people were transported to the hospital with injuries in connection with the incident at the Langeloth Metallurgical Company facility on Langeloth Road in Smith Township in Washington County, WTAE reported.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
30 Jan. 2026
-
The 16-year-old girls were transported to local hospitals following the incident, and both succumbed to their injuries, the department shared in a series of Facebook posts.—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
29 Jan. 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
-
This could allow for early detection of Parkinson's, when treatments might have a better chance of slowing or preventing serious damage.—
Angelica Stabile,
FOXNews.com,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Along with light winds, less weight on tree limbs helped avoid the type of damage that typically leads to major, statewide electric impacts.—
Steve Sullivan,
Hartford Courant,
31 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Impairment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impairment. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
