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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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.
One potential application involves speech prosthetics, technologies designed to help people communicate when injuries or neurological conditions have impaired their ability to speak.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026
This process normally removes apoptotic cells, but when it is impaired, dead cellular material can accumulate and continue triggering inflammatory signals.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 10, 2026
Alleged victims must still prove beyond a reasonable doubt that they were too impaired to consent—and that the accused should have known it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
The British Museum says it will provide an audio-described tour of the Bayeux Tapestry after a blind man threatened legal action over a lack of access for visually impaired visitors.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
Instead of turning my oxygen off, Harris, in his hypoxically impaired state, had mistakenly cranked the valve open to full flow, draining the tank.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
