impair

impair: im·pair /im-'per/ vt

1: to damage or make worse by or as if by diminishing

impair ed health

2: to diminish the value of (property or property rights); specif: to diminish the value of (legal contractual obligations) to the point that a party loses the benefit of the contract or the contract otherwise becomes invalid

a law impair ing a state's own obligations was entitled to less deference — Gerald Gunther see also contract clause

im·pair·ment n

impair: I verb adulterate, affect injuriously, blight, blunt, contaminate, cripple, crumble, damage, debilitare. debilitate, decrease in excellence, demolish, deplete, deprive of power, desecrate, devalue, dilapidate, diminish, diminish in quality, dissipate, disturb, dull, enervate, enfeeble, erode, frangere, harm, hinder, hurt, imminuere, injure, lessen in power, lessen in value, make inroads on, make worse, mar, obtund, paralyze, pollute, put out of commission, reduce, relax, render feeble, ruin, sap, stifle, taint, undermine, unhinge, waste, weaken, wear out, worsen associated concepts: impairing the obligation of contracts, impairment of capital, impairment of good will, impairment of memory, impairment of powers, impairment of security II index abrogate (annul), adulterate, aggravate (exacerbate), check (restrain), contaminate, damage, debase, debilitate, deface, denature, disable, disadvantage, disorient, endanger, eviscerate, harm, hinder, impede, infect, maim, mistreat, mutilate, pollute, prejudice (injure), spoil (impair), stain, subvert, vitiate

impair: v. Of property or a contractual right, to interfere in such a way as to diminish its value.

Synonyms:

Deteriorate, injure, vitiate, make worse, harm / Lessen, diminish, decrease, make less / Weaken, enfeeble, enervate

Look at other dictionaries:

impair — impair, aire [ ɛ̃pɛr ] adj. et n. m. • 1521; impar 1484; lat. impar; d apr. pair I ♦ Adj. 1 ♦ Qui n est pas pair, qui ne peut être divisé par deux en donnant des nombres entiers. Nombres impairs. Math. Fonction impaire, dont la valeur change de… … Encyclopédie Universelle
impair — impair, aire (in pêr, pê r ) adj. 1° Terme d arithmétique. Opposé à pair ; qu on ne peut diviser en deux nombres entiers égaux. Trois, cinq, sept, etc. sont des nombres impairs. Années impaires, celles qui sont exprimées par un nombre impair … Dictionnaire de la Langue Française d'Émile Littré
impair — Impair. adj. Qui n est point pair, nombre impair. Nous sommes icy nombre impair, en nombre impair. tout nombre est pair ou impair … Dictionnaire de l'Académie française
Impair — Im*pair , v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Impaired}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Impairing}.] [Written also {empair}.] [OE. empeiren, enpeiren, OF. empeirier, empirier, F. empirer, LL. impejorare; L. pref. im in + pejorare to make worse, fr. pejor worse. Cf.… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Impair — Im pair, a. [F. impair uneven, L. impar; im not + par equal.] Not fit or appropriate. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Impair — Im*pair , v. t. To grow worse; to deteriorate. Milton. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Impair — Im*pair , n. Diminution; injury. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
impair — (v.) late 14c., earlier ampayre, apeyre (c.1300), from O.Fr. empeirier (Mod.Fr. empirer), from V.L. *impejorare make worse, from assimilated form of in into, in (see IN (Cf. in ) (2)) + L.L. pejorare make worse, from pejor worse. In reference to… … Etymology dictionary
impair — damage, mar, *injure, harm, hurt, spoil Analogous words: *weaken, enfeeble, debilitate, sap, undermine, disable, cripple: *deface, disfigure: *deform, distort, contort, warp Antonyms: improve, amend: repair Contrasted words: better, ameliorate… … New Dictionary of Synonyms
impair — [v] harm, hinder blemish, blunt, cheapen, damage, debase, debilitate, decrease, destroy, deteriorate, devaluate, devalue, diminish, ding*, disqualify, enervate, enfeeble, hurt, injure, invalidate, lessen, lose strength, make useless, mar,… … New thesaurus

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