Word
ableist
Meanings
Showing prejudice or discrimination against disabled people, or treating disability as something inferior or abnormal.
Based on rules, designs, or social expectations that unfairly disadvantage disabled people.
Definition
Ableist describes attitudes, language, or systems that discriminate against disabled people.
Ableist refers to prejudice or discrimination that assumes non-disabled people are the norm and superior. It can show up in personal attitudes, everyday language, workplace rules, or public policies. People often use the word to criticize behavior or structures that exclude, belittle, or disadvantage disabled people.
Examples
- The comedian apologized after audiences explained why the joke was ableist.
- I didn’t realize that phrase sounded ableist until my colleague pointed out its history and impact.
- Her essay argues that the policy is ableist because it assumes everyone can navigate the city without assistance.
- They redesigned the interview process after feedback that the time limits were ableist for some candidates.
Common mistake
Learners sometimes use ableist to mean simply "mean" or "offensive" in general, but it specifically refers to discrimination or bias against disabled people.
More at C1 level
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More adjectives
- agnostic An agnostic is someone who does not claim to know whether God exists.
- pragmatic Pragmatic means focused on practical results rather than ideals or theories.
- ubiquitous Present, appearing, or found everywhere at the same time.
- cynical Cynical describes believing that people are mainly motivated by self-interest and not sincere.
- apathetic Apathetic means showing little or no interest, concern, or enthusiasm.