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.
In a properly installed system, people are then directed by announcement to the nearest fire exits, with flashing lights for people who are hearing-impaired or audible warnings for those sleeping.
From BBC
In a sense, it seeks to do for the hearing-impaired what braille does for the blind: It creates an alternative pathway to cognition.
From Salon
His three sons, all hearing-impaired, were terrified, he said.
From BBC
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
The center’s operators can also access other relay services to assist blind and deaf callers and can receive text messages to 911 — in English only — that “serves our hearing-impaired community the most,” he said.
From Seattle Times
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.
