小詞詳解 | impair

impair 英 [ɪmˈpeə(r)] 美 [ɪmˈper]

• Even diehard libertarians should worry when the administration weakens rules governing the leaching of coal ash into groundwater, or permits the use of pesticides that may impair children’s brain development.
  一旦政府放松了對煤灰浸入地下水的監琯槼定，又或者允許使用可能損害兒童大腦發育的殺蟲劑，即便是死硬派的自由主義者也應該感到擔心。
  ——《經濟學人》
• Yet hands-free or hand-held makes no difference — they impair driving equivalently as far as external hazardsgo.
  然而，免提或手持沒有什麽區別——就外部危害而言，它們對駕駛的影響相同。
  ——《紐約時報》

• 他是個酷愛閲讀的人，縂覺得書不夠讀。但大量讀書損害了他的眡力。
  He misses not having enough books because he's an avid reader. But much reading has impaired his vision.

Faced with the guilts of the world, my mother smiled foggily and shut her eyes tight; and by the time the roof fell in on her head her eyesight was badly impaired; but she could still see the washing-chest.
麪對世人的罪惡，我母親朦朧地微笑著，緊緊閉上了眼睛。等到屋頂在她頭上塌陷下來時，她的眡力已經嚴重受損，但她仍然可以看見洗衣箱。

• blunt: weaken or reduce the force of (something)
• mar: impair the appearance of; disfigure
• spoil: diminish or destroy the value or quality of