disability

UK: /ˌdɪsəˈbɪlɪti/ US: /ˌdɪsəˈbɪlɪti/ ,(dis′ə bil′i tē)

Inflections of 'disability' (n): npl: disabilities

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

dis•a•bil•i•ty /ˌdɪsəˈbɪlɪti/   n., pl. -ties. 

1. lack of adequate strength or ability;
   incapacity:
   [uncountable] a life of disability.
2. a physical or mental handicap:
   [countable] His disabilities were not going to stand in his way.
3. [countable] anything that disables or puts one at a disadvantage.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

dis•a•bil•i•ty  (dis′ə bil′i tē), n., pl. -ties for 2.

1. lack of adequate power, strength, or physical or mental ability;
   incapacity.
2. a physical or mental handicap, esp. one that prevents a person from living a full, normal life or from holding a gainful job.
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. Law legal incapacity;
   legal disqualification.
6. Business See disability insurance. 

• dis-¹ + ability 1570–80

Synonyms

• 1. disqualification, incompetence, incapability, impotence.
  Disability, inability imply a lack of power or ability. A disability is some disqualifying deprivation or loss of power, 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, to do well in higher mathematics.

Antonyms

• 1. ability, capacity.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

disability / ˌdɪsəˈbɪlɪtɪ/ noun ( -ties)

1. a physical or mental condition or illness that restricts a person in his or her ability to move or use his or her senses
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