disability

noun

Simple meaning

Having such a condition.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

dihsuhbilihtee

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice

IPA pronunciation (US)

dɪsəˈbɪlɪti

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

uncountable
The state of having such a condition; the state of being disabled.
countablemedical model of disability
A condition characterised by a significant limitation in a person's physical or intellectual powers or ability.
countablesocial model of disability
A limitation in function (the things that a person can do or achieve) that is driven by any combination of their impairments (the medical facts about them) and the imperfect state of society's inaccessibility that sometimes fails to accommodate their needs.
uncountableinformal
Regular payments received by a disabled person, usually from the state.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty: A2 · Elementary (estimated)
Frequency: Common
Typical Use: General English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: The state of having such a condition; the state of being disabled.

Used this way, disability is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone: Neutral
Formality: Neutral
Intensity: Not strongly marked
How common: Moderately common
Connotation: Matter-of-fact
Usage feel: Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use disability

“The building has ramps for people with a physical disability.”noun

Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Characterised

intellectual disability

Limitation

disability insurance

Regular

disability pension

Other combinations

learning disabilityphysical disabilitypermanent disabilityreading disabilitytotal disability

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

disability benefitnounCompound term
Insurance benefits paid in case of disability.
disability checknounCompound term
A monthly payment made to someone who has become disabled and is unable to work.
disability insurancenounCompound term
Social insurance for the disabled.
disability of walkingnounCompound term
A disability that interferes with or prevents walking.
disability paymentnounCompound term
A monthly payment made to someone who has become disabled and is unable to work.
learning disabilitynounCompound term
A disorder found in children of normal intelligence who have difficulties in learning specific skills.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: having such a condition

impairment

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.