impairment
Americannoun
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.
Impairment losses of 1.4 billion kroner due to an increase in long-dated U.S. interest rates contributed to the fall.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 2026
Brewer's other research affiliations include the Institute for Memory Impairment and Neurological Disorders and the Center for Neurobiology of Learning and Memory.
From Science Daily • Apr. 10, 2024
The effectiveness of prevention-based strategies has been shown in studies such as the Finnish Geriatric Intervention Study to Prevent Cognitive Impairment and Disability, commonly known as FINGER.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2023
Impairment there can lead to poor judgment and difficulty understanding the perspectives of others.
From Scientific American • May 26, 2023
Impairment of nutrition may check this development at any standpoint, and may thus produce any or all of the defects due to degeneracy.
From Degeneracy Its Causes, Signs and Results by Talbot, Eugene S.
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.
