List of disability-related terms with negative connotations explained

The following is a list of terms, used to describe disabilities or people with disabilities, which may carry negative connotations or be offensive to people with or without disabilities.

Some people consider it best to use person-first language, for example "a person with a disability" rather than "a disabled person."^[1] However identity-first language, as in "autistic person" or "deaf person", is preferred by many people and organizations.^[2]

Language can influence individuals' perception of disabled people and disability.^[3] Views vary with geography and culture, over time, and among individuals. Many terms that some people view as harmful are not viewed as hurtful by others, and even where some people are hurt by certain terms, others may be hurt by the replacement of such terms with what they consider to be euphemisms (e.g., "differently abled" or "special needs"). Some people believe that terms should be avoided if they might hurt people; others hold the listener responsible for misinterpreting terms used without harmful intent. For example, crazy should be avoided in describing persons or their behaviors, but is less likely to cause offense if used as an intensifier as in "crazy speed".^[4]

For some terms, the grammar structure of their use determine if they are harmful. The person-first stance advocates for saying "people with disabilities" instead of "the disabled" or "a person who is deaf" instead of "a deaf person".^{[5] [6] [7]} However, some advocate against this, saying it reflects a medical model of disability whereas "disabled person" is more appropriate and reflects the social model of disability.^[8] On the other hand, there is also a grammar structure called identity-first language that construes disability as a function of social and political experiences occurring within a world designed largely for nondisabled people.^[9]

A

Term	Notes	References
A few sandwiches short of a picnic	Used of people perceived as having reduced or limited mental faculties. Numerous derivatives with no known original (e.g. "a few books short of a library").
Able-bodied	There is an implied value judgement comparing a person with a disability versus one without	^[10]
Abnormal		^[11]
Addict		^[12]
Afflicted
Attention-seeking	Used of people who are suffering emotionally	^[13]
Autistic	Or Autism, when used as an insult	^[14]

B

Term	Notes	References
Batty		^[15]
Birth defect
Blind	Especially when used metaphorically (e.g., "blind to criticism") or preceded by "the", although "the blind" is considered acceptable by many blind people and organizations such as the National Federation of the Blind.	^[16] ^[17] ^[18]
Bonkers
Brain damaged		^[19]

C

Term	Notes	References
Challenged		^[20]
Crazy		^[21] ^[22]
Crazy cat lady	Used of mentally ill and neurotic women, particularly single women and spinsters who hoard cats.	^[23]
Cretin
Cripple	"A person with a physical or mobility impairment". Its shortened form ("crip") has been reclaimed by some people with disabilities as a positive identity.	^[24]
Confined to a wheelchair	Implies helplessness, and that someone is to be pitied.

D

Term	Notes	References
Daft	People considered nonsensical or feckless
Deaf and dumb or Deaf-mute
Deaf to X
Defective	Or other uses of "defect"
Deformed
Delusional		^[25]
Demented	People with dementia
Deranged or mentally deranged
Derp	Considered by some sites to refer to people with intellectual disabilities
Differently abled
Dim or dim-witted
DALYs/DFLYs/QALYs: Disability or Quality Adjusted (or Free) Life Years	Suggests that a nondisabled person's life years are worth more than a disabled person's	^[26]
The Disabled or Disabled people	May be offensive to some, who may prefer "person with a disability" or "people with health conditions or impairments". However, many people prefer "disabled person" or "disabled people", in part due to the social model of disability.^[27] ^[28] ^[29]
Disorder		^[30]
Dotard		^[31]
Downie	Used of people with Down Syndrome. A Dutch profanity sometimes appearing in English as "downy" and generally considered derogatory	^[32]
Dumb	Especially when preceded by "the"
Dummy and dumb	Used of people with mental disabilities, or more generally people perceived as stupid or ignorant. Once used to describe people incapable of speaking, suggestive of an insulting mannequin-like or ventriloquist's dummy-like appearance.	^[33] ^[34]
Dwarf

E

Term	Notes	References
Epileptic		^[35]
Exceptional		^[36]

F

Term	Notes	References
Feeble-minded or Feeb
Fit	In reference to an epileptic seizure
Flid	People with phocomelia from birth mother's use of thalidomide	^[37]
Freak		^[38]

H

Term	Notes	References
Handicapped	Especially when preceded by "the" or "physically"
Handicapable
Hare lip
Hearing-impaired		^[39]
Homebound		^[40]
Hunchback, or "humpback"	Especially when referring to people with scoliosis or kyphosis. Generated controversy after the 1990s release of The Hunchback of Notre Dame (see Quasimodo below).	^[41] ^[42] ^[43] ^[44]
Hyper
Hyper-sensitive		^[45]
Hysterical	Typically used in reference to women	^[46]

I

Term	Notes	References
Imbecile	Was originally the diagnostic term used for people with IQ scores between 30 and 50 when the IQ test was first developed in the early 1900s. It is no longer used professionally. Before the IQ test was developed in 1905, "imbecile" was also commonly used as a casual insult towards anyone perceived as incompetent at doing something.	^[47] ^[48]
Incapacitated
Idiot	Was originally the diagnostic term used for people with IQ scores under 30 when the IQ test was first developed in the early 1900s. It is also no longer used professionally. Before the IQ test was developed in 1905, "idiot" was also commonly used as a casual insult towards anyone perceived as incompetent at doing something.
Illiterate	Now considered imprecise and blames the person for something caused by the condition of the educational system.	^[49]
Inmate	When referring to a psychiatric admission
Insane
Inspirational or inspiring	When used about somebody doing a very ordinary activity, a phenomenon of spectacle known as "inspiration porn" that is based on pity; not to be confused with legitimate public activities of mass spectacle such as Special Olympics or Paralympics, which celebrate talent without pity or mockery.	^[50]
Invalid

L

Term	Notes	References
Lame	In reference to difficulty walking or moving. The term has since been adopted into urban slang to generally refer to something or someone as "meaningless" or "without worth", e.g. "He told us a lame excuse for why he had not done the work."
Losing one's mind
Losing / Lost one's marbles
LPC – Likely to become a public charge		^[51]
Lunatic or looney

M

Term	Notes	References
Mad, madman, manwomen	Some individuals with mental illness tend to use this term to change the negative stigma surrounding it (see Mad Pride)	^[52]
Mad as a hatter or Mad hatter	Derogatory term (referring to a mentally ill person or a person with brain damage and dementia caused by heavy metal poisoning) popularized especially due to the fictional character of the same name	^[53]
Maniac
Mental, mentally deficient, mental case or mentally ill
Midget
Mong, Mongol, Mongoloid, or Mongolism	Used of people with Down syndrome	^[54]
Moron, moronic
Munchkin	See "Midget" above. A term derived from the 1930s feature film The Wizard of Oz which had a cast of Little Persons.	^[55]
Mute
Mutant	referring to someone with an uncommon genetic mutation	^[56]

N

Term	Notes	References
Narc, narcissist	Does not mean the same as abuser	^[57]
Not the brightest bulb / Not the sharpest tool in the shed	Mentally disabled derogatory term
Nut, nuts, or nutter, nuthouse, etc.

P

Term	Notes	References
Patient
Paraplegic
Psycho(tic)
Psychopath	A dated term used for a person with a mental illness	^[60]

S

Term	Notes	References
Scatterbrained		^[63]
Schizo	Especially as an adjective, meaning "erratic" or "unpredictable" or, for the former two, to refer to an individual	^[64] ^[65] ^[66] ^[67]
Schizophrenic	When referring to an individual
(has a) Screw loose	British slang term that originally meant eccentric, neurotic or slightly mentally ill; generally considered offensive to mentally ill people	^[68] ^[69]
Senile
Slow		^[70]
Sluggish
Sociopath
Spastic/Spaz	Especially in the UK and Ireland. Previously referred to muscle spasticity or a person with cerebral palsy, which may involve muscle spasms. Also used to insult someone uncoordinated or making jerking movements.
Special
Special needs		^[71]
SPED	An acronym of "special ed" (short for "special education")	^[72]
Stone deaf		^[73]
Stricken
Stupid		^[74]
Subnormal
Supercrip		^[75]
Sufferer		^[76]

T

Term	Notes	References
Tard	Short for "retard"; see retard above.	^[77]
Thick		^[78]
Tone deaf

U

Term	Notes	References
Unclean		^[79]
Unfortunate
Unhinged		^[80]

V

Term	Notes	References
Victim of an ailment
Vegetable		^[81]
Vegetative state		^[82] ^[83]

W

Term	Notes	References
Wacko
Wheelchair bound and "confined to a wheelchair"	Preferred use is "person who uses a wheelchair"
Window licker		^[84] ^[85]

See also

• Ableism
• List of age-related terms with negative connotations
• List of ethnic slurs

External links

• Disability etiquette - Tips On Interacting With People With Disabilities – United Spinal Association
• Inclusive language: words to use when writing about disability - Office for Disability Issues and Department for Work and Pensions (UK)
• List of terms to avoid when writing about disability – National Center on Disability and Journalism
• Web site: Nović . Sara . The harmful ableist language you unknowingly use . BBC Worklife . 30 March 2021 .

Notes and References

1. Web site: 2018. Inclusive language: words to use and avoid when writing about disability . 2020-06-10. gov.uk. en-gb.
2. Web site: Haller. Beth. 7 January 2016 . Journalists should learn to carefully traverse a variety of disability terminology National Center on Disability and Journalism. 2020-08-30. en-US.
3. Andrews . Erin E. . Balter . Rochelle . Forber-Pratt . Anjali J. . Lund . Emily M. . Mona . Linda R. . Pilarski . Carrie R. . 2019 . #SaytheWord: A Disability Culture Commentary on the Erasure of "Disability" . . 64 . 2 . 111–118 . 10.1037/rep0000258 . 30762412 . 2023-03-19.
4. Web site: No, You Shouldn't Call Someone 'Crazy.' But Do We Have to Ban the Word Entirely? . November 27, 2019. Gold . Jessica.
5. Web site: People-First Language: An Unholy Crusade . March 2009 . 24 January 2014 . Vaughan . C. Edwin.
6. Web site: Folkins. John . Resource on Person-First Language – The Language Used to Describe Individuals With Disabilities . . December 1992 . 24 January 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150511071056/http://www.asha.org/publications/journals/submissions/person_first.htm . 11 May 2015 .
7. Web site: Disability Etiquette – Tips On Interacting With People With Disabilities . . 2008 . 24 January 2014.
8. Web site: I'm Not A "Person With a Disability": I'm a Disabled Person . . 9 November 2012 . 24 January 2014 . Egan . Lisa.
9. Dunn. Dana S.. Andrews. Erin E. . Person-first and identity-first language: Developing psychologists' cultural competence using disability language.. American Psychologist. en. 70. 3. 255–264 . 10.1037/a0038636. 25642702. 2015.
10. Web site: 12 September 2015 . Terms to Avoid When Writing About Disability . 2020-06-09 . National Center on Disability and Journalism . en-US.
11. Web site: Words with Dignity . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160418181310/http://3mc3pu3a8r0y2tbwjl479nd0.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/2015_03_19_wwd_updated_FINAL.pdf . 2016-04-18 . 27 August 2020 . Paraquad.
12. Book: Kanigel, Rachele . The Diversity Style Guide . 2019-01-14 . John Wiley & Sons . 978-1-119-05507-5 . 242–243 . en . Google Books.
13. Mollon . Anna . The Disability Drive . 2015 . PhD dissertation . University of California, Berkeley . en.
14. Web site: Kent . Tamsyn . 6 November 2009 . Has 'autism' become a term of abuse? . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150815163616/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8345282.stm . 2015-08-15 . 30 September 2015 . BBC News.
15. Web site: Brown . Lydia X.Z. . Ableist words and terms to avoid . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20210113094856/https://drc.arizona.edu/sites/drc.arizona.edu/files/documents/Ableist_Terms_To_Avoid.pdf . 2021-01-13 . Disability Resource Center University of Arizona.
16. Web site: ENC1101 First-year Composition – Guidelines for Avoiding Ableist Language . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110916052857/http://faculty.mdc.edu/dmcguirk/ENC1101/ENC1101guidelinesforavoidingableistlanguage.htm . 16 September 2011 . 24 January 2014.
17. Web site: Advice for Staff – Disability Etiquette – Appropriate Language and Behaviour . https://web.archive.org/web/20140202101359/http://www.hw.ac.uk/welfare/disability-service/staff/disability-etiquette.htm . 2 February 2014 . 24 January 2014 . Student Support and Accommodation . Heriot-Watt University.
18. Web site: Jernigan . Kenneth . March 2009 . The Pitfalls of Political Correctness: Euphemisms Excoriated . Braille Monitor . National Federation of the Blind.
19. Book: Hallowell, Brooke . Aphasia and Other Acquired Neurogenic Language Disorders: A Guide for Clinical Excellence . 2016-02-15 . Plural Publishing . 978-1-59756-955-2 . 38 . en.
20. Web site: 2016-01-21 . Guidelines: How to Write about People with Disabilities (9th edition) . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20200810123437/http://rtcil.org/products/media/guidelines . 2020-08-10 . 2020-08-28 . Research & Training Center on Independent Living . University of Kansas . en.
21. Web site: 11 November 2009 . The Transcontinental Disability Choir: What is Ableist Language and Why Should You Care? . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131014180600/http://bitchmagazine.org/post/the-transcontinental-disability-choir-what-is-ableist-language-and-why-should-you-care . 2013-10-14 . 24 January 2014.
22. Web site: Gossett . Jennifer . 31 January 2012 . Ableism and Language . 24 January 2014 . Disability Access Services Blog . Oregon State University.
23. Web site: Brown . Lydia . 16 June 2013 . Ableist Language . 28 September 2013.
24. Web site: Clare . Eli . Thinking about the word crip . 18 January 2014.
25. News: Steele . David . 6 September 2012 . Crazy talk: The language of mental illness stigma . 19 September 2016 . The Guardian.
26. Lyttkens . C. Hampus . 2003 . Time to Disable DALYs? On the Use of Disability-Adjusted Life Years in Health Policy . The European Journal of Health Economics . 4 . 3 . 195–202 . 10.1007/s10198-003-0169-2 . 3570084 . 15609185.
27. Web site: Brown . Lydia . 2 March 2012 . Identity First Language . Autistic Self Advocacy Network.
28. Web site: Haller . Beth . Journalists should learn to carefully traverse a variety of disability terminology . National Center on Disability and Journalism.
29. Web site: Sinclair . Jim . Why I dislike Person First language . Anatomy, the Critical Journal of Interdisciplinary Autism Studies.
30. News: Escalante . Alison . Researchers Doubt That Certain Mental Disorders Are Disorders At All . 2020-08-28 . Forbes . en.
31. Web site: Bryan . Chloe . September 22, 2017 . What is a 'dotard,' anyway? . March 8, 2018 . Mashable . At its core, "dotard" makes a judgement about a person's mental health, which is not a particularly wise thing to be doing to your peers as you dance through life..
32. Web site: No-Go . 22 December 2022 . touchdown21.info . Touchdown 21.
33. Web site: dummy . 23 December 2022 . merriam-webster.com . Merriam-Webster.
34. Web site: dummy . 23 December 2022 . dictionary.cambridge.org . Cambridge Dictionary.
35. Web site: Accessibility & Disability Etiquette – Accessibility . accessibility.unca.edu.
36. Web site: Disability Language Style Guide National Center on Disability and Journalism . 2020-08-28 . en-US.
37. Flid . The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English . Routledge . 26 June 2015 . Dalzell . Tom . 7390 . en . 978-1-317-37251-6 . Victor . Terry.
38. Book: Quackenbush, Nicole . Bodies in Culture, Culture in Bodies: Disability Narratives and a Rhetoric of Resistance . ProQuest LLC . 2008 . Ann Arbor, MI . 118–127.
39. Web site: Community and Culture – Frequently Asked Questions . 2020-09-13 . National Association of the Deaf . en.
40. Web site: Disability Terminology Chart . 3 September 2020 . California Courts.
41. Web site: humpback noun . 22 December 2022 . merriam-webster.com . Merriam-Webster.
42. Web site: Knight-Ridder . Kathi Wolfe . Another Burden For The Disabled . 22 December 2022 . spokesman.com . The Spokesman Review.
43. Web site: 28 June 2002 . Quasimodo: Hunchback No More . 22 December 2022 . cbsnews.com . CBS News . Associated Press.
44. Web site: Hunchback . 22 December 2022 . medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com . The Free Dictionary by Farlex.
45. Web site: National Youth Leadership Network . Respectful Disability Language: Here's What's Up! . 28 October 2020 . Association of University Centers on Disabilities..
46. Web site: Cowley . Gina . Female Hysteria . 24 January 2014 . BellaOnline.
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48. .
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51. Baynton . Douglas C. . 2005 . Defectives in the Land: Disability and American Immigration Policy, 1882-1924 . Journal of American Ethnic History . 24 . 3 . 31–44 . 10.2307/27501596 . 0278-5927 . 27501596 . 254496018.
52. News: Gabrielle Glaser . May 11, 2008 . 'Mad Pride' Fights a Stigma . March 26, 2024 . The New York Times.
53. Web site: Larson . Remi . 26 October 2016 . "Mad Hatter" Perpetuates Stigma around Mental Illness . 22 December 2022 . activeminds.org . Active Minds.
54. News: Kenber . Billy . Ricky Gervais: I was wrong about 'mong' . 2020-07-19 . . en . 0140-0460.
55. Web site: Matthews . Robert Guy . 16 February 1999 . Munchkin stereotype a big issue; Image: The little people point out that caricatures have largely disappeared from popular culture, but not for them. . 23 December 2022 . The Baltimore Sun.
56. Book: Hargrave, Matt . Theatres of Learning Disability: Good, Bad, or Plain Ugly? . 2015-06-23 . Springer . 978-1-137-50439-5 . 254 . en.
57. Web site: Wilding . ((Melody (contributor))) . November 2018 . I'm a professor of human behavior, and I have some news for you about the 'narcissists' in your life . 2020-06-10 . Business Insider.
58. Web site: Ask the Editor Out to lunch . 22 December 2022 . britannica.com . The Britannica Dictionary.
59. Web site: out to lunch phrase . 22 December 2022 . merriam-webster.com . Merriam-Webster.
60. Web site: Gratton . Korina . 4 December 2019 . LibGuides: Ableism: Ableist Language . 2020-06-10 . libguides.ufv.ca . en.
61. Web site: Hodges . Rick . The Rise and Fall of "Mentally Retarded" – Member Feature Stories . 2018-10-12 . Medium.
62. Book: Andrews, Erin E. . Disability as Diversity: Developing Cultural Competence . 2019-11-01 . Oxford University Press . 978-0-19-065232-6 . 76 . en.
63. Web site: Wedge . Marilyn . What to do when your Child is Scatterbrained . 2020-09-05 . Psychology Today . en-US.
64. Penn . David L. . Nowlin-Drummond . Amy . 2001 . Politically Correct Labels and Schizophrenia: A Rose by Any Other Name? . Schizophrenia Bulletin . 27 . 2 . 197–203 . 10.1093/oxfordjournals.schbul.a006866 . 11354587 . free.
65. Web site: Kelly . Jon . Winterman . Denise . 10 October 2011 . OCD, bipolar, schizophrenic and the misuse of mental health terms . 24 January 2014 . BBC News.
66. Web site: Dictionary.com - Schizoid . 24 January 2014.
67. Web site: The Free Dictionary - Schizo . 24 January 2014.
68. Web site: Definition of 'have a screw loose' . 22 December 2022 . collinsdictionary.com . Collins Dictionary.
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70. Web site: Guidelines for Writing About People With Disabilities ADA National Network . 2020-08-28 . adata.org.
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73. Web site: tone-deaf - Cambridge Dictionary . dictionary.cambridge.org.
74. Ravishankar . Rakshitha Arni . 15 December 2020 . Why You Need to Stop Using These Words and Phrases . . Harvard Business School Publishing . limited . https://web.archive.org/web/20201215183151/https://hbr.org/2020/12/why-you-need-to-stop-using-these-words-and-phrases . 15 December 2020 . 18 February 2023.
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