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:
In its decision, the committee said Burwood's actions were "deplorable" and she was "morally culpable", adding that public confidence in the profession would be undermined if a finding of impairment was not made.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
The man was in his fifties when he was diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment caused by Alzheimer's disease.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026
Of the 12 players in the squad, 10 had no intellectual impairment at all, but were keen amateur players who had been recruited months before the Sydney Games to supplement the team.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
Researchers at the University of Florida found that glucosamine use was associated with a greater likelihood that mild cognitive impairment would progress to dementia.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 27, 2026
They weren't partial or biased, just very persuasive in detailing how organic brain damage, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder can conspire to create severe mental impairment.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
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
Stem cell transplantation reversed motor impairments caused by the strokes in the mice.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026
The judge said the court would still make certain accommodations, in light of Jeffries 81 years of age and cognitive impairments.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
The research could have important implications for how people understand acquired language impairments, or aphasia.
From Science Daily ● 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.
