impairment
Americannoun
-
impairments
plural
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of impairment
Explanation
An impairment makes some things difficult to do. An eye injury can be an impairment to seeing. An impairment can also be any change for the worse. People with impairments have trouble doing something. If you have a hearing impairment, you can’t hear very well. If you have a taste impairment, you can’t enjoy flavors. If you bump your head and can’t remember your name, you’re suffering a mental impairment. Some impairments are temporary. If you sprain your ankle, it will heal, but you'll have to live with the impairment for a while. Losing your job is an impairment to your career and finances. Impairments make things more difficult.
Vocabulary lists containing impairment
"Remarks at the Dedication of the Aerospace Medical Health Center," Vocabulary from the speech
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myPerspectives 7.1
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"Remarks at the Dedication of the Aerospace Medical Health Center" by John F. Kennedy
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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.
See Examples For:
The company reported a narrowed quarterly net loss of 672 million euros compared with a loss of 963 million euros, as it was hit by impairment charges and litigation expenses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026
Together, these changes could increase the likelihood of cognitive impairment, Alzheimer's disease, and other forms of dementia.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 2, 2026
In a large international study, researchers found that older adults with very high levels of a particular blood biomarker faced a 38% chance of developing cognitive impairment within five years.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 31, 2026
It also cuts the stock’s target price to 16.50 yuan from 18.00 yuan, citing weak sales and certain impairment costs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026
Dr. Strayer said he’d published more than fifty articles in major scientific journals, around twenty of them on issues pertaining to driving impairment, attention and distraction behind the wheel.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
He’s rehabilitating but still struggles to speak, in addition to other impairments he’d rather not make public.
From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2026
Non-motor symptoms include depression, anxiety, apathy, hallucinations, constipation, orthostatic hypotension, sleep disorders, loss of sense of smell, and cognitive impairments.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
The participants with severe language impairments performed as well as a control group.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026
She says finding available taxis has become more difficult, even with London Taxicard scheme, a subsidised taxi service for people with mobility impairments or severe sight loss.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
He had cognitive impairments that suggested some organic brain damage and behavioral problems that suggested schizophrenia and other serious mental illness.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
