impaired

[im-paird]

adjective

1. weakened, diminished, or damaged.

   to rebuild an impaired bridge.

2. functioning poorly or inadequately.

   Consumption of alcohol results in an impaired driver.

3. deficient or incompetent (usually preceded by an adverb or noun).

   morally impaired; sports-impaired.

Other Word Forms

• unimpaired adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of impaired¹

impair + -ed ²

Example Sentences

There’s no indication in the memo or otherwise that the loans were ever in arrears or in default, or otherwise impaired in any way.

From Los Angeles Times

Pentecost, who has been sacked, pleaded guilty at Uxbridge Magistrates' Court to performing an aviation function while impaired by drugs.

From BBC

During the Great Depression, the Reconstruction Finance Corp., a Hoover creation that lived well into Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal, took preferred shares in numerous impaired banks in return for capital infusions they needed to survive.

From Los Angeles Times

Before the pandemic, around 30,000 people attempted the hike each year with a 66% success rate, including several visually impaired climbers.

From Los Angeles Times

Community leaders in Koreatown believe that autonomous vehicle technology, which can see other road users and make safety-based decisions, could significantly decrease fatalities in high-risk areas where human error and impaired driving contribute to crashes.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• damaged www.thesaurus.com
• defective 
• flawed 
• harmed www.thesaurus.com