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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
100 SAT Words Beginning with "I"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Chapter 16: Toward Civil War
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
“The U.K. equity story reflects a structurally impaired investment case, driven by both supply and demand shortfalls rather than Brexit alone,” the strategists noted.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 24, 2026
The team notes that these cellular changes "are closely linked to impaired insulin action and the progression of metabolic disease."
From Science Daily • Jun. 22, 2026
Gracias and Jurvetson were on the board of SolarCity, which Musk merged into Tesla when the former was looking financially impaired in 2016.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 16, 2026
"We recognise it was an accident, you know when young people play sometimes their sense of judgement is impaired either by excitement or by not understanding what is happening at that particular time."
From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026
Even if they’re looking at the road, he’d found, their visual acuity was impaired by the cognitive demand of the phone.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
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.
