impaired

[im-paird]

adjective

1. weakened, diminished, or damaged.

   to rebuild an impaired bridge.

2. functioning poorly or inadequately.

   Consumption of alcohol results in an impaired driver.

3. deficient or incompetent (usually preceded by an adverb or noun).

   morally impaired; sports-impaired.

Other Word Forms

• unimpaired adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of impaired¹

impair + -ed ²

Example Sentences

A new study examining cognitively impaired professional boxers and mixed martial arts fighters reports that the brain's waste-clearing system appears to weaken after repeated blows to the head.

Read more on Science Daily

The ongoing inaugural Blind Women's T20 Cricket World Cup has put the spotlight on visually impaired Indian women who have overcome immense challenges to reach this stage.

Read more on BBC

Another key conclusion was that impaired kidney function is a major contributor to heart disease.

Read more on Science Daily

“This is the first-ever World Cup for blind women... I think this is one of the biggest opportunities for our entire visually impaired girls,” said Shetty, who is not blind.

Read more on Barron's

Driving under the influence of cannabis is illegal, but there's a medical exemption providing patients have followed the dosages prescribed and do not feel impaired.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• damaged www.thesaurus.com
• defective 
• flawed 
• harmed www.thesaurus.com