handicapped

/ˈhændikæpt/

handicapped is the simple past and past participle of handicap.

Adjective

handicapped (comparative more handicapped, superlative most handicapped)

(sometimes considered offensive) Having a handicap.
- handicapped person
- handicapped man
(derogatory) Limited by an impediment of some kind.
- We are so handicapped for means, you see—the old story with this sort of institution. Practically everything we have has been given us at one time or another—it has to be, for there is simply no fund to apply to purchasing.1927, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], Max Carrados Mysteries

handicap (third-person singular simple present handicaps, present participle handicapping, simple past and past participle handicapped)

(transitive) To encumber with a handicap in any contest.
(broadly, figuratively, transitive) To place at disadvantage.
- The candidate was handicapped by her lack of experience.
To estimate betting odds.
- Grandpa Andy would buy the racing form the day ahead of time so he could handicap the race before he even arrived at the track.

handicapped (plural handicappeds)

What does handicapped mean?: Handicapped means having a handicap.
What is handicapped the simple past and past participle of?: Handicapped is the simple past and past participle of handicap.
What part of speech is handicapped?: Handicapped can be an adjective or a noun.
How do you pronounce handicapped?: Handicapped is pronounced /ˈhændikæpt/.

Adapted from Wiktionary: handicapped (page history and authors); handicap (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-handicapped.wav.

Cite this entry: “handicapped.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/handicapped. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.