learning disability

noun

: any of various conditions (such as dyslexia or dysgraphia) that interfere with an individual's ability to learn and so result in impaired functioning in language, reasoning, or academic skills (such as reading, writing, and mathematics) and that are thought to be caused by difficulties in processing and integrating information

called also learning difference

learning disabled adjective

Examples of learning disability in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Exposure to lead is most serious during brain development – in utero, infancy and early childhood, and can high levels of exposure can lead to learning disabilities, behavior difficulties, and a lower IQ, the FDA says. —Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 13 Mar. 2025

Abbott has tackled learning disabilities, student accessibility, and funding inequities with incredible empathy, and tonight’s focus on the ripple effects of the SEPTA strike and the importance of safe and reliable transportation falls in line with the show’s ethos. —Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 22 Jan. 2025

The potential harms of self-diagnosing ADHD ADHD shares symptoms with a number of other conditions including anxiety, depression and some learning disabilities, according to Owen. —Renée Onque, CNBC, 18 Oct. 2024

The outcome could impact future policies regarding educational accountability and support for students with learning disabilities. —Dan Perry, Newsweek, 1 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1936, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for learning disability

• communicability
• comprehensibility
• deliverability
• differentiability
• impenetrability
• impermeability
• impracticability
• inaccessibility
• inadmissibility
• inapplicability
• incompatibility
• indestructibility

Kids Definition

learning disability

noun

: any of various conditions (as attention deficit disorder and dyslexia) that interfere with a person's ability to learn basic academic skills

called also learning difference

learning disabled adjective

Medical Definition

learning disability

noun

: any of various disorders (as dyslexia or dysgraphia) that interfere with an individual's ability to learn resulting in impaired functioning in verbal language, reasoning, or academic skills (as reading, writing, and mathematics) and are thought to be caused by difficulties in processing and integrating information

—abbreviation LD

learning disabled adjective