able-bodied

[ey-buhl-bod-eed]

adjective

1. having a strong, healthy body; physically fit.

   A couple of able-bodied guys dragged the tree off to the shoulder of the road and got traffic moving again.

2. Sometimes Offensive.,  free from or unaffected by physical disability.

   There is a three-month limit on food assistance benefits for able-bodied adults who work fewer than 20 hours per week.

able-bodied

adjective

1. physically strong and healthy; robust

2. not having a physical disability

Usage

Preferred form: non-disabled

Sensitive Note

The description able-bodied to characterize people who are not living with a disability is increasingly considered offensive, primarily because of two negative connotations associated with the term. First, defining the population who is not living with a physical disability as able-bodied diminishes those who are enabled by accommodation or adaptive aids. Combating ableism and embracing equal rights and opportunities means emphasizing the qualifications of the individual, whether or not that person uses assistive technology to access or participate in an activity. Further, the term able-bodied does not fully align with the requirements of the modern job market, which is no longer exclusively defined by physical labor. Historically the descriptor able-bodied was used to distinguish nondisabled people from those living with a disability, and also from children, the elderly, and pregnant women. It is still used today in some government documentation to indicate eligibility for employment or military service. In its use as a legal designation in administering programs for people in poverty, able-bodied has become a politicized word. When determining who is deserving of public aid, it is fair to expect those who are able to work to fully pursue opportunities that make them self-sufficient; financial assistance is allocated to those who are unable to support themselves. However, the insinuation that unemployed or underemployed people designated as able-bodied are choosing assistance over work out of laziness or greed does not take into account other barriers to employment, like insufficient education and training, mental illness, cognitive and emotional challenges, or other personal limitations that are not physical. When not referring to a specific legal designation, it is better to refer to people as nondisabled , enabled , or not living with (a specified impairment), and to be as precise as possible.

Other Word Forms

• able-bodiedness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of able-bodied¹

First recorded in 1610–20; able ( def. ) + bodied ( def. )

Example Sentences

While able-bodied cricket requires players to keep an eye on the ball at all times, blind players must have sharp ears.

Read more on Barron's

It appears that every able-bodied man in the surrounding area has been summoned to the Temple of the Sun.

Read more on Literature

Medicaid won’t be funding illegal aliens anymore or young able-bodied men with no dependents who are siphoning the system and draining resources from the elderly, disabled, and young pregnant women who really need it.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

That was a holiday in parts of early Canada called “militia muster day,” where able-bodied men would participate in military training before engaging in recreational activities.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Republicans have argued that such restrictions will encourage more able-bodied adults to get back into the workforce to support their families themselves.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• strapping