intellectually disabled

adjective

: affected by intellectual disability
intellectually disabled children/adults
The academy students, ages 18 to 21, are intellectually disabled students who are at what's called a transition age and are preparing to be self-sustaining adults with the experience to land and hold down various kinds of jobs.Juan Siliezar
… lawmakers are poised to pass legislation that will put Florida on the cutting edge in education, savings and employment opportunities for the intellectually disabled.William March

Examples of intellectually disabled in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
As a general rule, someone must have an IQ of 70 or below to be considered intellectually disabled. Ian Millhiser, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018 Smith says he is intellectually disabled; the state of Alabama wants to execute him anyway. Ian Millhiser, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018 The book opens with the 1982 murder of a well-off elderly white woman, Dorothy Edwards, in Greenwood, South Carolina—a murder for which Elmore, an intellectually disabled Black handyman, is swiftly convicted and sentenced to death. Boris Kachka, The Atlantic, 18 Oct. 2024 The question of whether Atkins survives or falls will turn on whether there are five justices who want intellectually disabled people to be executed, and nothing else. Ian Millhiser, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018 See all Example Sentences for intellectually disabled 

Word History

First Known Use

1955, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of intellectually disabled was in 1955

Dictionary Entries Near intellectually disabled

Cite this Entry

“Intellectually disabled.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intellectually%20disabled. Accessed 15 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

intellectually disabled

adjective
: affected by intellectual disability

Medical Definition

intellectually disabled

adjective
: affected by intellectual disability
intellectually disabled children/adults
State officials and special education advocates are pushing legislation aimed at breaking down barriers they say are keeping thousands of intellectually disabled Bay State students from enrolling in college classes.Kathleen McKiernan, The Boston Herald
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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