disabled

adjective: 1. physically or mentally impaired, injured, or incapacitated. 2. lacking one or more physical powers, such as the ability to walk or to coordinate one's movements, as from the effects of a disease or accident, or through mental impairment. 3. impaired, as in physical functioning. 4. impaired or limited by a physical, mental, cognitive, or developmental condition : affected by disability. 5. incapacitated by illness or injury. 6. of a device or mechanism : rendered inoperative (as by being damaged or deliberately altered): a disabled alarm. noun: 1.  (used with a plural verb) physically or mentally impaired persons (usually preceded by the): Ramps have been installed at the entrances to accommodate the disabled. 2. physically impaired people considered as a group. Often used with the. as collective noun; preceded by the: the disabled. Usage Note: Nowadays it is better to refer to people with physical disabilities of various kinds by describing the specific difficulty in question rather than talking about the disabled as a group, which is considered somewhat offensive. Some people also object to the word disabled to refer to facilities for people with disabilities, and prefer the word accessible. -- Dictionary.com. Examples: He was disabled by student debt. -- 12.22.19 // The organization is working to protect the rights of disabled veterans. // The disabled man was unable to climb the stairs without help. Related Words: handicapped, wounded, paralyzed, weakened, infirm, lame, wrecked, hurt, maimed, confined, hamstrung, stalled, broken-down, decrepit, helpless, incapable, powerless, run-down, worn-out. Synonyms: challenged, differently abled, exceptional, impaired. Antonyms: able-bodied, abled, nondisabled, unimpaired. Origin: First recorded in 1625–35; disable + -ed2. Source 1, Source 2.