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
Derived 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.
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
On the ground in Bosnia, we were handicapped daily by extremely contradictory and restrictive orders written back in the U.N.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 14, 2026
Some clearly display handicapped plaques as they go to the store.
From Salon • Apr. 1, 2025
Efoghe said the Nigerian embassy in Tripoli was "handicapped" and could not intervene because of the political situation.
From BBC • Oct. 14, 2024
Senate and other offices—it was certainly handicapped, at least in the short term, by Kennedy’s brazen dissemination of inside information.
From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt
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.
