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Definition of disability noun from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

      

    disability

     noun
    noun
    NAmE//ˌdɪsəˈbɪlət̮i//
     
    (pl. disabilities)
     
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  1. 1[countable] a physical or mental condition that means you cannot use a part of your body completely or easily, or that you cannot learn easily a physical/mental disability people with severe learning disabilities synonyms at illness
  2. 2[uncountable] the state of not being able to use a part of your body completely or easily; the state of not being able to learn easily He qualifies for help on the grounds of disability. Since I'm self-employed I have to pay for my own disability insurance. Thesaurusillness
    • condition
    • health problems/issues
    • disability
    These are all words for the state of someone's health, especially when they are physically or mentally ill.
    • illness the state of being physically or mentally ill
    • condition the state of someone's health or how fit they are, especially when they are ill:She can't travel in her condition. My condition requires me to watch what I eat.
    • health problems/issues any problems that someone has with their physical or mental health:My parents have had a lot of health problems this year. Many of the patients at the clinic are dealing with serious mental health issues. The term health issues is slightly more formal than health problems.
    • disability a physical or mental condition that means you cannot use a part of your body completely or easily, or that you cannot learn easily:His disability does not keep him from living a full and active life.
    Patterns
    • (a) chronic illness/condition/health problems/health issues/disability
    • to suffer from an illness/health problems/health issues
    • to deal with/have health problems/health issues/a disability
    3. Thesaurusillness
    • condition
    • health problems/issues
    • disability
    These are all words for the state of someone's health, especially when they are physically or mentally ill.
    • illness the state of being physically or mentally ill
    • condition the state of someone's health or how fit they are, especially when they are ill:She can't travel in her condition. My condition requires me to watch what I eat.
    • health problems/issues any problems that someone has with their physical or mental health:My parents have had a lot of health problems this year. Many of the patients at the clinic are dealing with serious mental health issues. The term health issues is slightly more formal than health problems.
    • disability a physical or mental condition that means you cannot use a part of your body completely or easily, or that you cannot learn easily:His disability does not keep him from living a full and active life.
    Patterns
    • (a) chronic illness/condition/health problems/health issues/disability
    • to suffer from an illness/health problems/health issues
    • to deal with/have health problems/health issues/a disability
     able adjective (≠unable)ably adverbability noun (≠inability)disabled adjectivedisability noun    Idioms
    on disability
     
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    used to refer to the pay that you receive if you are not able to work because of health problems After the accident, I was on disability for two weeks.
See disability in the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
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