disability

[ dis-uh-bil-i-tee ]

noun

, plural dis·a·bil·i·ties.

1. lack of adequate power, strength, or physical or mental ability; incapacity.

   Synonyms: deficit, impairment

   Antonyms: capacity, ability

2. a physical or mental impairment, especially one that hinders or prevents a person from performing tasks of daily living, carrying out work or household responsibilities, or engaging in leisure and social activities.
3. anything that disables or puts one at a disadvantage:

   His mere six-foot height will be a disability in professional basketball.

4. the state or condition of being disabled.
5. legal incapacity; legal disqualification.
6. disability insurance.

disability

/ ˌdɪsəˈbɪlɪtɪ /

noun

1. the condition of being unable to perform a task or function because of a physical or mental impairment
2. something that disables; handicap
3. lack of necessary intelligence, strength, etc
4. an incapacity in the eyes of the law to enter into certain transactions

Usage

Many deaf and hard of hearing people object to the use of the phrase hearing disability

Sensitive Note

Disability is a general term for one or more functional limitations in carrying out major life activities. A disability may be physical, mental, or sensory. The language used to describe disabilities and people with disabilities has changed over time, and older words and phrases like cripple, handicapped, or special needs are no longer recommended and often cause offense. In many cases there is no reason to mention someone’s disability at all; however, when you do introduce disability as a part of an individual’s whole self, it is usually preferable to be specific: “a woman with cerebral palsy” rather than generically “a woman with a disability.” Sometimes the important information is a person’s membership in the disability community, in which case the umbrella term disability is appropriate: “employer accommodation for an employee with a disability.” Some people, especially in the disability rights community, prefer to write disability as dis/ability, (dis)ability, or disAbility in an effort to emphasize ability and minimize ableism. In the same spirit, some also use the words able and ability to mean disabled or disability, as in: “Able team members are asked to share accessibility concerns with their team leader” or “The city council will defer to the recommendations of the ability committee.” This use of able and ability is criticized by some for being unclear or overly euphemistic and is not preferred over the straightforward terms disabled and disability.

Word History and Origins

Origin of disability¹

First recorded in 1570–80; dis- ¹ + ability

Synonym Study

Disability, inability imply a lack of power or ability. A disability is a functional limitation, physical or other: excused because of a physical disability; a temporary disability. Inability is a lack of ability, usually because of an inherent lack of talent, power, etc.: inability to talk; inability to do well in higher mathematics.

Example Sentences

She is the access to politics project officer for Disability Wales.

From BBC

Students could be exempt from the phone policy for a number of reasons, including needing their phones for health reasons, individualized education programs, accommodations due to a disability, and language translation.

From Los Angeles Times

Teachers, who don’t always qualify for state disability or pay during leave through the Family and Medical Leave Act, are instead expected to exhaust sick days, pay for their own substitutes, return to work before they’re fully healed or time our births with summer vacation.

From Los Angeles Times

Lloyd Martin, 20, whose family is from Cardiff, made history earlier this year as the youngest person in his learning disability category to complete a marathon.

From BBC

None of this nuance is reflected in the TikTok trend, which reduces Timmy, and by extension wheelchair users and disability, to one-dimensional ridicule.

From BBC

Related Words

• cognitive impairment
• debilitation
• impairment
• incapacitation
• intellectual disability
• limitation
• restriction