impair

Synonym Chooser

How is the word impair distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of impair are damage, harm, hurt, injure, and mar. While all these words mean "to affect injuriously," impair suggests a making less complete or efficient by deterioration or diminution.

years of smoking had impaired his health

In what contexts can damage take the place of impair?

The meanings of damage and impair largely overlap; however, damage suggests injury that lowers value or impairs usefulness.

a table damaged in shipping

When might harm be a better fit than impair?

While the synonyms harm and impair are close in meaning, harm often stresses the inflicting of pain, suffering, or loss.

careful not to harm the animals

When could hurt be used to replace impair?

The words hurt and impair are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, hurt implies inflicting a wound to the body or to the feelings.

hurt by their callous remarks

When is injure a more appropriate choice than impair?

Although the words injure and impair have much in common, injure implies the inflicting of anything detrimental to one's looks, comfort, health, or success.

badly injured in an accident

When would mar be a good substitute for impair?

While in some cases nearly identical to impair, mar applies to injury that spoils perfection (as of a surface) or causes disfigurement.

the text is marred by many typos

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of impair Two big firms sued the Trump administration on Friday, seeking to stop executive orders that could impair their ability to represent clients. Michael S. Schmidt, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025 Grief can affect cognitive capacity, temporarily impairing concentration, memory, and decision-making abilities. Megan Bruneau, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025 Similar to alcohol, marijuana impairs motor skills and reaction times that are critical to driving safe. Omer Awan, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2025 Cannabis also can impair one’s judgment and cause slower reaction times — a potential problem when taking care of children. Meena Duerson, CNN, 25 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for impair
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impair
Verb
  • Boosie Badazz is counting his blessings after walking away from a massive car crash in Georgia that left multiple drivers and passengers injured.
    Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 8 Apr. 2025
  • Two officers were also taken to the hospital but were not injured, sources said.
    Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Their son and daughter-in-law, Cameron Bott, 35, and his wife, Diana, 36, whose nearby home was damaged in the tornado, initiated a discussion about starting a GoFundMe to offset potential insurance shortfalls in rebuilding the gas station.
    Tammy Ljungblad, Kansas City Star, 9 Apr. 2025
  • In total, mountain pine beetles have damaged about 5,600 acres of forest.
    Sharon Udasin, The Hill, 8 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The dashboard was part of an extended pressure campaign from Buttigieg, who, during his tenure in the Biden administration, publicly challenged the major carriers to improve service and transparency—particularly after a summer marred by cancellations and flight delays.
    Bailey Berg, AFAR Media, 8 Apr. 2025
  • Indeed, Delaney’s personal life has been marred by what appears to be a pretty entrenched drinking problem, which has affected her career and led to very un-Diane Russell-like brushes with the law, the Daily Mail and other outlets have reported.
    Martha Ross, Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • But that progress stalled out around the turn of the year, which weakened the case for further rate cuts and ultimately prompted the Fed to stand pat in January.
    Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 4 Apr. 2025
  • More broadly, consumer sentiment has declined and retail sales growth has weakened, reflecting the uncertainty of customers over where the economy is headed.
    Harry Holzer, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • About six weeks ago, hackers crippled the computer systems of the TV and mobile phone provider Dish Network.
    Shira Ovide, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2023
  • Oakland Mills Coach: Chris Brewington Last season: Class 2A state champion Outlook: Losing the talent Oakland Mills did from last year’s outdoor season would cripple most programs, but the Scorpions have reloaded.
    Anthony Maluso, Baltimore Sun, 22 Mar. 2023
Verb
  • Trump's most expansive tariffs to date and larger than most experts expected ‒ could further hurt a weakening economy, send the stock market plummeting and even lead to a recession.
    Joey Garrison, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2025
  • With big men Al Horford and Kristaps Porziņģis out in addition to Jrue Holiday, Kornet’s three first-half fouls hurt the most.
    Jay King, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Setting Dani’s debut in motion: When an undercover FBI agent was killed in the field, Jubal’s team made the unnerving discovery that the identities of multiple UCs have been compromised — including Maggie, who had just infiltrated an increasingly skittish eco-terrorist group.
    Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 2 Apr. 2025
  • Just last week, a national educational software provider disclosed a data breach that compromised personal data for thousands of students at dozens of Minnesota schools.
    Torey Van Oot, Axios, 2 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Now, just as television’s role turned front-row briefing seats into prime real estate, evolving technology may erode the importance of giving those seats to television and newswire services.
    Haisten Willis, The Washington Examiner, 6 Apr. 2025
  • Chevron also challenged the costly wetlands restoration project proposed by the parish, which involved removing large amounts of contaminated soil and filling in the swaths fragmented wetlands eroded over the last century.
    Jack Brook, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Impair.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impair. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on impair

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!