hearing-impaired
Americanadjective
Usage
Hearing-impaired is perceived as an offensive term within the Deaf community because the word impaired implies damage, and it focuses on what the person cannot do. When referring to people with hearing loss, the preferred term is hard of hearing .
Etymology
Origin of hearing-impaired
First recorded in 1945–50
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.
His three sons, all hearing-impaired, were terrified, he said.
From BBC • May 27, 2024
My hearing-impaired “shake-awake” alarm wakes me up by vibrating on the top of my cell’s metal lockers.
From Slate • Dec. 14, 2023
Similarly, the current season of "The Great British Baking Show" includes hearing-impaired contestant Tasha Stones while also introducing her interpreter to her fellow contestants.
From Salon • Oct. 2, 2023
The service dogs who help someone who is deaf or hearing-impaired are trained to alert recipients to sounds.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 18, 2023
His death was announced by Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., the only university for the hearing-impaired in the United States, where he earned a degree and spent his entire career.
From New York Times • Aug. 29, 2022
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.
