impaired
Americanadjective
-
weakened, diminished, or damaged.
to rebuild an impaired bridge.
-
functioning poorly or inadequately.
Consumption of alcohol results in an impaired driver.
-
deficient or incompetent (usually preceded by an adverb or noun).
morally impaired; sports-impaired.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of impaired
Explanation
When something is impaired, it's diminished or damaged. Someone who can't see very well has impaired sight. When something is broken and isn't working at 100%, it's impaired. People with impaired hearing are deaf, and people who are physically impaired have to use crutches or wheelchairs. Everyone who wears glasses or contact lenses has impaired vision. If you break your ankle, your ability to walk is impaired. And if something caused you to make a bad decision, you could say your judgment was impaired.
Vocabulary lists containing impaired
Hatchet
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "I"
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Chapter 16: Toward Civil War
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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.
At Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, we believe the private sector’s role should focus on expanding specialized access for all.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026
"Impaired insulin sensitivity is the root cause of type 2 diabetes, so any treatment we can develop to safely restore this would be a major step forward for patients."
From Science Daily • Apr. 11, 2024
Impaired movement is the most prominent symptom of the other variants.
From Scientific American • Mar. 9, 2023
In 1975, the United Kingdom-based Union of the Physically Impaired Against Segregation defined disability not as an individual condition but as an external inhibitor.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 3, 2022
Impaired blood, nervous excitability, sick headaches, mental depression, sleeplessness, and a long train of untold sufferings may be directly traced to this physical sin.
From Hygienic Physiology : with Special Reference to the Use of Alcoholic Drinks and Narcotics by Steele, Joel Dorman
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.
