impairment
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of impairment
Explanation
An impairment makes some things difficult to do. An eye injury can be an impairment to seeing. An impairment can also be any change for the worse. People with impairments have trouble doing something. If you have a hearing impairment, you can’t hear very well. If you have a taste impairment, you can’t enjoy flavors. If you bump your head and can’t remember your name, you’re suffering a mental impairment. Some impairments are temporary. If you sprain your ankle, it will heal, but you'll have to live with the impairment for a while. Losing your job is an impairment to your career and finances. Impairments make things more difficult.
Vocabulary lists containing impairment
"Remarks at the Dedication of the Aerospace Medical Health Center," Vocabulary from the speech
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!
myPerspectives 7.1
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!
"Remarks at the Dedication of the Aerospace Medical Health Center" by John F. Kennedy
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.
See Examples For:
Over the course of the last year, Smucker has taken three impairment charges tied to Hostess, totaling nearly $3 billion, and ratcheted back expectations for the brand’s long-term growth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
Deputies who responded to the scene said Pelosi showed no signs of alcohol impairment, and investigators did not arrest him because the incident did not involve injuries or suspected intoxication.
From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026
Finkelstein pointed to copious data supporting the value of art, music and dance therapy for people with cognitive impairment.
From Barron's ● Jun. 15, 2026
The study found that people with mild cognitive impairment who reported taking glucosamine were more likely to progress to dementia than those who did not use the supplement.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 10, 2026
Was she just a poor speller, or was this a sign of mental impairment?
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
They reveal the complex sentencing exercise, including submissions about the boys' neurological impairments and their capacity to understand the impact that they had had on the victims.
From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026
There are communities of people with visual impairments, or other disabilities.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2026
The U.K. lender beat analyst expectations with higher profit thanks to better impairments and remediation, analysts write.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 29, 2026
The bank attributed the increase to growth and impairments related to wholesale loans.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 13, 2026
Across America, ophthalmologists rediscovered an obscure and risky procedure called radial keratotomy, and there was a boom in surgery to correct small impairments of vision.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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.
