handicapped
Americanadjective
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Sometimes Offensive. physically or mentally disabled.
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of or designed for handicapped people.
handicapped parking.
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Sports. (of a competitor) marked by, being under, or having a handicap.
a handicapped player.
noun
adjective
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physically disabled
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psychol denoting a person whose social behaviour or emotional reactions are in some way impaired
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(of a competitor) assigned a handicap
Sensitive Note
See cripple.
Usage
Nowadays the use of the word handicapped to describe people with disabilities is generally considered inappropriate. It is preferable to refer to someone as having a disability and to talk about people with disabilities
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of handicapped
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.
He was an excellent fifth to Jagwar at last year's Cheltenham Festival and is now much better handicapped with that rival.
From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026
It has long been handicapped by a rule requiring full consensus among members, meaning decisions are few and far between.
From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026
Those failures handicapped heroic efforts from fire crews on day one.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 19, 2025
Cognitive fluency and watery judicial eyes aside, Arriaga and I are still handicapped without a PC.
From Slate • Sep. 17, 2024
“It’s a seat to help handicapped or old people go up and down the stairs,” I told Lissa.
From "The Old Willis Place" by Mary Downing Hahn
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.
