as in disability
a condition in which a part of your body or mind is damaged and does not work well
Her mother had a hearing impairment that had become worse with age.
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Recent Examples of impairment
People with severe impairment in one arm must rely almost entirely on their other arm for daily activities, such as eating, dressing and household tasks.
—
Candice Maenza, The Conversation, 2 Feb. 2026
It is designed to help people with post-stroke speech impairment communicate naturally again without surgery or brain implants.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 1 Feb. 2026
The two treatments are designed to replace the genes broken in mucopolysaccharidosis type I and type II, also known as Hurler and Hunter syndromes, devastating and fatal rare diseases that cause a string of cognitive, cardiac, and other impairments.
—Jason Mast, STAT, 28 Jan. 2026
The report states officers detected the odor of alcohol and noted physical signs of impairment.
—Tori Mason, CBS News, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for impairment
Candice Maenza, The Conversation, 2 Feb. 2026
It is designed to help people with post-stroke speech impairment communicate naturally again without surgery or brain implants.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 1 Feb. 2026
The two treatments are designed to replace the genes broken in mucopolysaccharidosis type I and type II, also known as Hurler and Hunter syndromes, devastating and fatal rare diseases that cause a string of cognitive, cardiac, and other impairments.
—Jason Mast, STAT, 28 Jan. 2026
The report states officers detected the odor of alcohol and noted physical signs of impairment.
—Tori Mason, CBS News, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for impairment
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impairment
Noun
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And the American health care system isn't set up to help people get through it, Mauldin outlines in the book, by way of inaccessible health care, lack of caregiver supports, expensive treatments and an overall de-valuing of sick people and those with disabilities.—
Madeline Mitchell,
USA Today,
9 Feb. 2026
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When people with disabilities live in the community with appropriate supports, the state avoids far more expensive emergency care, institutional placements, and hospital stays.—
Fay Lenz,
Hartford Courant,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Schwesinger also battled through an ankle injury this season, playing 16 of 17 games for Kevin Stefanski’s club.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
6 Feb. 2026
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After several years of gradual development amid shifting roles and a major shoulder injury, Dosunmu cemented himself as an elite two-way player this season.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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These can cause severe scarring or disablement and may lead to amputations.—
Jordan King,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Oct. 2025
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Playing Arnie, the younger brother to Gilbert (Johnny Depp), DiCaprio doesn’t permit his character to be a simple, adorable variation on disablement.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Once it's sent to the collection agency, the credit damage is done and there's no rehabilitating that account.—
Meghan Schiller,
CBS News,
14 Feb. 2026
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Hendricks had developed preeclampsia, a potentially fatal complication of pregnancy involving damage to the blood vessels and high amounts of fluid loss.—
Ari Daniel,
NPR,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Impairment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impairment. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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