intellectual disability
noun
Note: The term intellectual disability is now preferred over mental retardation in medical, educational, and regulatory contexts, as well as in general use. The term mental retardation is increasingly considered offensive, though it was the dominant term into the second decade of the current century.
Examples of intellectual disability in a Sentence
Eve Chen, USA TODAY, 12 May 2024
Per the lawsuit, Brown had a mild intellectual disability, chromosomal deficiency disorder, and other health complications.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 8 May 2024
The suit specified that Brown had a chromosomal deficiency disorder, a developmental delay, a mild intellectual disability and high blood pressure.
—Antonia Debianchi, Peoplemag, 7 May 2024
Studies have linked acephate to reductions in IQ and verbal comprehension and autism with intellectual disability.
—Sharon Lerner, ProPublica, 1 May 2024
One awaiting the governor's signature would involuntarily commit certain criminal defendants for inpatient treatment and temporarily remove their gun rights if they are ruled incompetent for trial due to intellectual disability or mental illness.
—CBS News, 23 Apr. 2024
To completely understand the genetic causes of autism; inform new support systems, tools, and technologies; and fully explore the reasons for a higher preponderance of intellectual disability diagnoses among Black children with autism, a more diverse research population is needed.
—Wendy K. Chung, STAT, 16 Apr. 2024
Today, PBDEs are the greatest contributor to intellectual disability in children, resulting in a total loss of 162 million IQ points and more than 738,000 cases of intellectual disability, according to an August 2020 study.
—Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 1 Apr. 2024
His younger sister, Rosemary Kennedy, had been born with intellectual disabilities — and her treatment is illustrative of some of the horrors of the asylum era.
—Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 16 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'intellectual disability.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near intellectual disability
Cite this Entry
“Intellectual disability.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intellectual%20disability. Accessed 18 May. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
intellectual disability
nounNote: The term intellectual disability is now preferred over mental retardation in medical, educational, and regulatory contexts, as well as in general use. The term mental retardation is increasingly considered offensive, though it was the dominant term into the second decade of the current century.
Victor R. Martinez
Share