incapacitation

[in-kuh-pas-i-tey-shuhn]

noun

1. the state of not having the necessary ability, qualification, or strength to perform some specified act or function; incapacity.

   When the brain lacks sufficient oxygen, cognitive and mental ability declines, followed by physical incapacitation, and then unconsciousness or even death.

Word History and Origins

Origin of incapacitation¹

First recorded in 1720–30; incapacitat(e) ( def. ) + -ion ( def. )

Example Sentences

“The incapacitation of an elected official is a material fact that should be disclosed to the public, rather than concealed by staff. Transparency, not cover-ups, should be the norm.”

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Netanyahu’s governing coalition — Israel’s most religious and nationalist ever — last year passed the amendment known as the “incapacitation law,” which allows a prime minister to be deemed unfit to rule only for medical or mental health reasons.

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They added that suspected militia vessels accompanying Chinese coast guard ships used a long-range acoustic device that could impair hearing, causing “severe temporary discomfort and incapacitation to some Filipino crew.”

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Philippine officials added that in addition to the use of water cannons Saturday, suspected militia vessels accompanying Chinese coast guard ships used a long-range acoustic device that could impair hearing, causing “severe temporary discomfort and incapacitation to some Filipino crew.”

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They said without elaborating that suspected militia vessels accompanying Chinese coast guard ships used a long-range acoustic device that could impair hearing, causing “severe temporary discomfort and incapacitation to some Filipino crew.”

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Related Words

• failure 
• impotence 
• incompetence 
• inefficiency 
• ineptitude 
• lack 
• shortcoming 
• weakness