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

handicapped

adjective
 
/ˈhændikæpt/
 
/ˈhændikæpt/
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  1. (old-fashioned, usually offensive) having a condition that makes it difficult for you to do some things that most other people can do The term handicapped is now usually considered offensive. You can say that somebody is disabled or has a disability instead.
    • The accident left him physically handicapped.
    • Steven was born severely handicapped.
    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
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs
    • be
    • be born
    • leave somebody
    adverb
    • badly
    • seriously
    • severely
    See full entry
  2. the handicapped
    noun [plural] (old-fashioned, offensive) people who are handicapped This term is now considered offensive. You can say disabled people or people with disabilities instead.
See handicapped in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

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