retarded
English
Etymology
From retard + -ed.
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /ɹɪˈtɑːdɪd/
- (US) IPA(key): /ɹiˈtɑɹdɪd/
Adjective
retarded (comparative more retarded, superlative most retarded)
- Delayed; delayed in development, hindered; impeded. [from 17th c.]
- This kind of plant is usually of a retarded growth.
- 1902, Doyle, Arthur Conan, “Author's Preface”, in The Complete Napoleonic Stories, OCLC 249211947, page vi:
- We know cases where obscurity of style has retarded the recognition of really great writers—but obscurity of style is not a virtue, and they were great in spite of it.
- 1971, Watson, William, Cultural Frontiers in Ancient East Asia, Edinburgh University Press, →ISBN, LCCN 70-159591, OCLC 906061811, page 128:
- The last zone, lying beyond the Ch‘ang-pai mountains, was in special isolation and culturally as retarded as regions much farther north.
- 2004, Duncan Mackay, The Observer, 8 Aug 2004:
- HGH, which was originally developed to assist children with retarded growth, is believed to be especially popular with sprinters.
- (psychology, now offensive, dated) Having mental retardation; mentally deficient or underdeveloped.
- 2000, Kate Connolly, The Guardian, 19 Apr 2000:
- The European Roma Rights Centre in Budapest, which is representing the children - from the north-eastern city of Ostrava - said that the education ministry and local authorities had for decades "perpetuated a system which routinely brands disproportionate numbers of Gypsies as mentally retarded".
- 2000, Kate Connolly, The Guardian, 19 Apr 2000:
- (psychology, now offensive, dated) Specifically, having an IQ below 70. [from 19th c.]
- (colloquial, derogatory, offensive) Extremely stupid. [from 20th c.]
- 1988, Raymond E Feist, Faerie Tale:
- Looking at Jack, Gabbie said, "What?" "That's the Troll Bridge." She groaned at the pun. "That's retarded."
- 1997, Carlin, George, “SIGNS”, in Brain Droppings, New York: Hyperion Books, →ISBN, LCCN 96-52373, OCLC 36084460, OL 26335012M, page 66:
- I've got a terrific sign in front of my house that keeps intruders out: Retarded Pit Bull High on Angel Dust. No one's come over the wall yet. Except a couple of retarded guys who were high on angel dust.
- 1988, Raymond E Feist, Faerie Tale:
- (physics) Designating a parameter of an electromagnetic field which is adjusted to account for the finite speed of radiation. [from 20th c.]
Usage notes
- It is politically incorrect (to be avoided generally) to use this word in the present-day United States cultural context, where the word is usually considered offensive or impolite (outside rare technical usage).
Derived terms
- r-slurred (euphemism)
- rarted (euphemism)
Translations
delayed in development
|
having mental retardation
|
stupid, irrational
|
Verb
retarded
- simple past tense and past participle of retard
Anagrams
- retraded
Cebuano
Etymology
From English retarded, from retard, from Middle English, from Anglo-Norman or Latin, from Old French retarder, from Latin retardāre (“to retard”), from re- + tardus (“slow”).
Pronunciation
- Hyphenation: re‧tar‧ded
Adjective
retarded
- retarded; having mental retardation; mentally deficient
Noun
retarded
- a retard