IMPAIRMENT Synonyms: 37 Similar and Opposite Words

impairment

noun

Definition of impairment

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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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 Those with visual impairments cannot read text in the usual way, and people with conditions such as dyslexia may find reading difficult or tiring. — William Jones, AZCentral.com, 9 Sep. 2026 Unlike alcohol, the mere presence of THC in one’s system doesn’t necessarily indicate impairment. — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 8 Sep. 2026 Preliminary investigation suggests that alcohol impairment was not a contributing factor to the collision, police said. — Harry Harris, Mercury News, 8 Sep. 2026 Investigators are examining whether alcohol impairment was a contributing factor in the crash. — Stephanie Ballesteros, CBS News, 7 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for impairment

Recent Examples of Synonyms for impairment

Noun

Sunset also offers free golf lessons to people with disabilities.

— Langston Wertz Jr, Charlotte Observer, 6 Sep. 2026
His movie was a documentary about the experience of a young blind man and his love of football, despite his disability.

— Brian Welk, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of disability

Noun

Lasko suffered the spinal cord injury in a collision with a teammate June 30 that left him paralyzed from the chest down, with both arms affected, too.

— ABC News, ABC News, 16 Sep. 2026
But lower-body injuries the last couple of years — a left groin strain last season and a left hamstring strain earlier this season — forced him away from it.

— Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of injury

Noun

But damage to its refineries from Ukrainian drones forced the Kremlin to impose a sweeping diesel export ban in July that will remain at least through the end of September.

— Steve Kopack, NBC news, 11 Sep. 2026
But the power struggle inside the Supreme Court has also caused damage to the institution itself, with critics lambasting the chaos shaking the institution to its core.

— MAURICIO SAVARESE, Arkansas Online, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of damage

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impairing

impairment

impairments

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“Impairment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impairment. Accessed 17 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of impairment

noun

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