disability

[dis-uh-bil-i-tee]

noun

plural

disabilities 

1. lack of adequate power, strength, or physical or mental ability; incapacity.

   Synonyms: deficit, impairment
   Antonyms: capacity, ability

2. a physical or mental impairment, especially one that hinders or prevents a person from performing tasks of daily living, carrying out work or household responsibilities, or engaging in leisure and social activities.

3. anything that disables or puts one at a disadvantage.

   His mere six-foot height will be a disability in professional basketball.

4. the state or condition of being disabled.

5. legal incapacity; legal disqualification.

6. disability insurance.

disability

/ ˌdɪsəˈbɪlɪtɪ /

noun

1. the condition of being unable to perform a task or function because of a physical or mental impairment

2. something that disables; handicap

3. lack of necessary intelligence, strength, etc

4. an incapacity in the eyes of the law to enter into certain transactions

Usage

Many deaf and hard of hearing people object to the use of the phrase hearing disability

Sensitive Note

Disability is a general term for one or more functional limitations in carrying out major life activities. A disability may be physical, mental, or sensory. The language used to describe disabilities and people with disabilities has changed over time, and older words and phrases like cripple, handicapped, or special needs are no longer recommended and often cause offense. In many cases there is no reason to mention someone’s disability at all; however, when you do introduce disability as a part of an individual’s whole self, it is usually preferable to be specific: “a woman with cerebral palsy” rather than generically “a woman with a disability.” Sometimes the important information is a person’s membership in the disability community, in which case the umbrella term disability is appropriate: “employer accommodation for an employee with a disability.” Some people, especially in the disability rights community, prefer to write disability as dis/ability, (dis)ability, or disAbility in an effort to emphasize ability and minimize ableism. In the same spirit, some also use the words able and ability to mean disabled or disability, as in: “Able team members are asked to share accessibility concerns with their team leader” or “The city council will defer to the recommendations of the ability committee.” This use of able and ability is criticized by some for being unclear or overly euphemistic and is not preferred over the straightforward terms disabled and disability.

Word History and Origins

Origin of disability¹

First recorded in 1570–80; dis- ¹ + ability

Synonym Study

Disability, inability imply a lack of power or ability. A disability is a functional limitation, physical or other: excused because of a physical disability; a temporary disability. Inability is a lack of ability, usually because of an inherent lack of talent, power, etc.: inability to talk; inability to do well in higher mathematics.

Example Sentences

Jones, who is visually impaired, sets aside more than $400 a month from his disability check to invest in a basket of stock funds, individual shares, real-estate investment trusts and cryptocurrencies.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Sanskrity Baraili, sabbatical officer at the students' union in Bradford, says she has already seen the impact of cuts on students, especially in support services such as cleaning teams and disability services.

Read more on BBC

This is assuming those on retirement don’t swarm the disability fund when they need the money.

Read more on MarketWatch

My disability pension is about $4,110 per month tax-free, with lifetime medical and dental insurance.

Read more on MarketWatch

One family might celebrate the neurodiversity of their child, while another may severely struggle with the lifelong disability of someone who remains nonverbal.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• cognitive impairment 
• debilitation 
• impairment 
• incapacitation 
• intellectual disability 
• limitation 
• restriction