disability

American  

[dis-uh-bil-i-tee] / ˌdɪs əˈbɪl ɪ ti /

noun

• disabilities
  plural

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.

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disability British  

/ 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

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Sensitivity

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.

Usage

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

Synonym Usage

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.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• disabilities
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of disability

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

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Explanation

A disability is a physical or mental condition that can make it more difficult or impossible for someone to complete some task or participate in some activity. Break down this word and you get dis and ability — literally, "the opposite of ability." Many people with disabilities, however, learn to adapt to and overcome the challenges a disability can present. A person who is blind has a physical disability, while a person with dyslexia has a learning disability. This word can also be used figuratively. You might consider your fear of heights and poor sense of balance to be disabilities when trying to scale a rock-climbing wall.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

disability disabilities

Why, yes, especially if we’re talking about disability advocate Judy Heumann, one of the most consequential figures in civil rights history.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026

Since losing her apartment five years ago because of a job loss and disability, Blair said, she has tried to navigate an alphabet soup of nonprofits that manage the city’s enormous homelessness budget.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026

I receive $2,000 a month in Social Security and live in a two-bedroom apartment with a roommate who is receiving disability benefits.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 4, 2026

The Catholic Church intervened in September, publishing a document titled "The Fragility That Makes Us Human" in which it questioned why disability care was being addressed solely from a budgetary perspective.

From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026

For a time, he considered applying for permanent disability.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times

As he explained, “Death sentences are unevenly and unfairly applied to people of color, people with mental disabilities, and people who cannot afford costly legal representation.”

From Slate ● Nov. 5, 2026

His two grandsons have hearing and speech disabilities and need specialised care and schooling that he says are unavailable in the area.

From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026

"We're going to remove all the pews so we can fit as many wheelchairs as possible. We want people with disabilities to be the protagonists," director Jorge Silanes told AFP.

From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026

Despite his disabilities, Morris rode, hiked and boated on frequent excursions in upstate New York.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

But the other two, Chet Douglass and Bobby Zane, were vocal enough, complaining shrilly about school regulations, the danger of stomach cramps, physical disabilities they had never mentioned before.

From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles

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Related Words

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

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