abled
Americanadjective
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noting or relating to a person unaffected by physical, mental, or cognitive impairment; nondisabled.
I don’t think abled folks realize how inaccessible basic infrastructure is.
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Rare. noting or relating to a disabled person who uses assistive technology or accommodations that make education, jobs, or other activities accessible to them.
Teachers and institutions need to understand that if tools are provided to children with disabilities, they will become abled individuals in society.
adjective
Etymology
Origin of abled
First recorded in 1945–50; back formation from disabled ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It’s a brutal reminder that we all are temporarily abled.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026
Because reality shows like this don’t explore the nuances of disability, abled audiences are unaware of how a person’s healthcare is tied into their ability to qualify for programs like SSI and SSDI.
From Salon ● Apr. 1, 2025
When adjunct professor Zelu, who is paraplegic, hits rock bottom personally and professionally, she unexpectedly writes a mega-bestselling work of Afro-futurism that also addresses the differently abled.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 28, 2024
She said she wanted to help those who were "financially excluded or differently abled".
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2024
And I went forward upon the earth, and did lie upon my belly; and was by this so close upon the edge of that place, that I was abled to look downwards.
From The Night Land by William Hope Hodgson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
