impaired
Americanadjective
-
weakened, diminished, or damaged.
to rebuild an impaired bridge.
-
functioning poorly or inadequately.
Consumption of alcohol results in an impaired driver.
-
deficient or incompetent (usually preceded by an adverb or noun).
morally impaired; sports-impaired.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of impaired
Explanation
When something is impaired, it's diminished or damaged. Someone who can't see very well has impaired sight. When something is broken and isn't working at 100%, it's impaired. People with impaired hearing are deaf, and people who are physically impaired have to use crutches or wheelchairs. Everyone who wears glasses or contact lenses has impaired vision. If you break your ankle, your ability to walk is impaired. And if something caused you to make a bad decision, you could say your judgment was impaired.
Vocabulary lists containing impaired
Hatchet
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "I"
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Chapter 16: Toward Civil War
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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.
Both impaired the barrier's integrity under the experimental conditions.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026
"For my elderly, visually impaired patients, they are ground-breaking. They are amazing."
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
TD says it doesn’t support the narrative that credit was an issue for the banks, since impaired provisions for credit losses fell and consumer delinquencies improved in the important unsecured category.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
Riggs said the Teamsters’ safety argument is weakened by the inconsistent safety record of human truck drivers, who have fallen asleep at the wheel or driven while distracted or otherwise impaired.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026
He’s so tall, too, that she has to crane her neck to make a safe turn because her visibility is impaired.
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
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.
