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Definition of disabled adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

disabled

adjective
 
 
/dɪsˈeɪbld/
 
/dɪsˈeɪbld/
Word Family
  • able adjective (≠ unable)
  • ably adverb
  • ability noun (≠ inability)
  • disabled adjective
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  1.  
    having a condition that makes it difficult for you to do some things that most other people can do
    • physically/developmentally/intellectually disabled
    • a new home for severely disabled people
    • My sister is learning disabled (= she has a learning disability).
    • temporarily/permanently disabled
    • The stroke left him disabled.
    • The museum has special facilities for disabled people.
    • Does the theatre have disabled access?
    compare able-bodied, non-disabled
    Which Word? disabled / handicappeddisabled / handicapped
    • Disabled is the most generally accepted term to refer to people with a permanent illness or injury that makes it difficult for them to use part of their body completely or easily. Handicapped is old-fashioned and now usually considered offensive.
    • Disabled and disability can also be used to talk about a condition that affects learning or brain development:
      • intellectually disabled
      • learning disabilities
      . In the UK, the term learning difficulty is generally preferred to talk about people who have difficulty with a particular type of learning (for example, people with dyslexia). It is also sometimes used in relation to people who have more general difficulties in learning skills, understanding information, etc., but the term learning disability is generally preferred to refer to these difficulties. However, in the US the term learning disability is preferred for specific difficulties in learning (such as dyslexia), where British English prefers learning difficulty. These terms replaced older terms that are now considered offensive such as ‘mental handicap’.
    see also blind, deaf
    Extra Examples
    • We support disabled students in further and higher education.
    • Jenny has cerebral palsy and, like most disabled children, she attends a mainstream school.
    • My son is disabled and needs extra support at school.
    • The plant employs many disabled workers.
    • The accident left him badly disabled.
    Topics Disabilityb2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs
    • be
    • be born
    • become
    • …
    adverb
    • profoundly
    • seriously
    • severely
    • …
    See full entry
  2. the disabled
    noun [plural] (old-fashioned) people who are disabled
    • caring for the sick, elderly and disabled
    Most people now prefer not to say the disabled because it suggests that all disabled people are the same and the only important thing about them is their condition. You can use the expressions disabled people or people with disabilities instead.
See disabled in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee disabled in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
Check pronunciation: disabled

Nearby words

12 June 2024
priority
noun
 
 
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