IMPAIR Synonyms: 96 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

impair

verb

im-ˈper

Definition of impair

as in to injure

to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of already impaired by a crack, the windshield shattered upon impact with the baseball

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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 The delay, the filing notes, impairs Pewitt’s defense because the memories of witnesses fade and their availability is unknown, and the ability to find and re-examine physical evidence after 31 years is compromised. — Amy Lavalley, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2026 As extreme weather becomes more common and disruptive, the effects can impair relationships, interrupt routines and communication, and damage gathering places and the foundations of community traditions. — Fiona Doherty, The Conversation, 5 Aug. 2026 Many miners interviewed by NPR complained that masks impair communication in a dangerous and noisy environment, become clogged with dust, are too hot to work in, and fail to screen out finer particles. — Howard Berkes, NPR, 5 Aug. 2026 Pests and Disease Aphids and other sap-sucking insects can drain crepe myrtle sap and spread sooty mold, while leaf spot is a fungal issue that can weaken plants, impair blooming, and leave unsightly splotches on plant leaves. — Lauren Landers, The Spruce, 4 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for impair

Recent Examples of Synonyms for impair

Verb

While no civilians were injured, one firefighter was taken away for treatment of smoke inhalation and is in stable condition.

— Nathalie Marie Palacios, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026
In Russian attacks elsewhere, local officials said that one person was killed and 15 people injured in the southern Zaporizhzhia region.

— David Brennan, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of injure

Verb

Hundreds of buildings — hotels, apartment blocks, mixed-use structures — collapsed or were damaged beyond repair.

— Mery Mogollón, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026
If Chinese inventories become one of the last lines of defense against damaging global price spikes, Beijing may come to occupy a comparable position.

— Jason Bordoff, Foreign Affairs, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of damage

Verb

The firm, backed by SoftBank and Goldman Sachs, was marred by employees who pointed to Garg’s reputation for being a brash leader.

— Ty Roush, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
Some cautioned that a prolonged war, especially one marred by a steady stream of American casualties and little visible progress, could eventually weigh on recruiting at the margins.

— Steven Beynon, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of mar

Verb

That makes the world a more dangerous place, where a mistake by just one actor could ignite a regional firestorm, with a US military weakened by Iran unable to ensure American security.

— Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 17 Aug. 2026
Hurricane Lala weakened to a tropical storm Sunday after skirting Hawaii without making landfall, but it wasn’t done punishing the Big Island with hurricane-force gusts.

— Alexa St. John, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of weaken

Verb

Refineries in Russia, a major exporter of fuel, have been crippled by drone attacks from Ukraine.

— Matt Egan, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026
Donalds is a full-bore supporter of the destructive homestead exemption proposal known as Amendment 3 that would cripple local government.

— Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of cripple

Verb

Analysts had long worried that a collapse of Evergrande could trigger wider risks for China’s property market, hurting homeowners and the broader global financial system.

— Sylvie Zhuang, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026
Residents in some of those markets continue to raise concerns about drone noise and privacy and how those issues could hurt property values.

— Annie Palmer, CNBC, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of hurt

Verb

Escalating threats in the Red Sea could compromise the Saudi pipeline that has been essential in mitigating the Hormuz crisis.

— Jason Bordoff, Foreign Affairs, 14 Aug. 2026
These thermal gradients generate stresses that may crack or spall – chip or flake off – the outer surface, but the heat often does not penetrate deeply enough to compromise the structural core.

— Giorgia Giardina, The Conversation, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of compromise

Verb

Hence the switch, a year or so after the film’s release, to a stadium now named after the latest in a long line of sponsors that, for all the vital money brought in, have slightly eroded identity.

— Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2026
If Chinese production pushes hardware prices into a freefall, the collateral backing hundreds of billions in private loans could erode far faster than the terms of the debt itself, leaving investors exposed to losses, according to Emons.

— Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of erode

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impacts

impair

impaired

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“Impair.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impair. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

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