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
Derived 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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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.
Attorneys for Grossman and Erickson argued that, although the incident was tragic, there was no evidence that their clients were racing or impaired that would justify an award of hundreds of millions of dollars.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 6, 2026
Recent reviews have pointed to several possible mechanisms, including circadian disruption, altered hormone signaling, changes in immune function, metabolic disruption, and impaired DNA repair.
From Science Daily • May 30, 2026
On Friday, the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service panel decided Hopper's fitness to practise had been impaired in relation to his convictions and sanctioned him to removal from the medical register.
From BBC • May 29, 2026
Ms. Hochul also won modest auto insurance reforms that restrict damages for individuals found mostly at fault for crashes, capping payouts at $100,000 for those driving uninsured, impaired or after committing a felony.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026
Anything that impaired or deflected that central mission was to be avoided at all costs.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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.
