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retarded

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English

Etymology

From retard +‎ -ed.

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /ɹɪˈtɑːdɪd/
  • (US) IPA(key): /ɹiˈtɑɹdɪd/
  • Audio (US):(file)

Adjective

retarded (comparative more retarded, superlative most retarded)

  1. Delayed; delayed in development, hindered; impeded. [from 17th c.]
    This kind of plant is usually of a retarded growth.
    • 1971, William Watson, Cultural Frontiers in Ancient East Asia‎[1], Edinburgh University Press, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, 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 August 8, Duncan Mackay, The Observer:
      HGH, which was originally developed to assist children with retarded growth, is believed to be especially popular with sprinters.
  2. (psychology, sometimes offensive, dated) Having mental retardation; mentally deficient or underdeveloped.
    Synonym: mentally retarded
    • 1990 October 28, Tamar Lewin, “As the Retarded Live Longer, Anxiety Grips Aging Parents”, in The New York Times‎[2], →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2015-05-25, U.S.‎[3]:
      Experts in the field say there are now at least 200,000 retarded people over 60 in the United States.
    • 2009 May 25, Peter Brunette, “Cannes winner "White Ribbon" seriously stunning”, in Reuters‎[4], archived from the original on 2023-04-29‎[5]:
      One day the order of things begins to unravel. First, the doctor, on horseback, is tripped up by an invisible wire and his injuries put him in the hospital for months. Then several children, including the son of the Baron and the retarded child of the doctor’s mistress, are severely beaten. Later, the Baron’s barn is set on fire.
    • 2009 August 11, “Eunice Kennedy Shriver, founder of Special Olympics, dead at 88”, in France 24‎[6], archived from the original on 2010-06-12‎[7]:
      Shriver started the Special Olympics Games in 1968 to foster fitness and self-esteem for those with mental retardation and advocated in Washington for her cause well into her eighties. The event has grown to include 190 nations.
      Her concern for the mentally handicapped was attributed to her relationship with older sister Rosemary, who was said to have been mildly retarded and spent the majority of her life in a long-term care facility after a lobotomy.
    • 2012 November 21, Lisa Zeidner, “Book review: ‘Far From the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity’ by Andrew Solomon”, in The Washington Post‎[8], →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2012-12-04, Opinions‎[9]:
      As one of hundreds of examples, here is how Emily and Charles work to stimulate their profoundly retarded newborn, and the kind of detail Solomon is consistently able to draw from his subjects: […]
    • 2022 May 1, Sandeep Raghavan, quoting Vishnu Gavali, “Navi Mumbai: Kids forced to beg are drugged, say activists”, in The Times of India‎[10], archived from the original on 2022-05-01‎[11]:
      Gavali added that he is going to meet the state home minister by next week to brief him about the situation. “Giving drugs to children can cause long term harm and they can also become retarded. Such begging gangs are also seen at Kharghar, Belapur highway junction, and at Nerul LP, " he said.
    • 2022 November 28, “Man sentenced to 107 years for abusing minor daughter”, in The Hindu‎[12], archived from the original on 2023-04-29, Kerala‎[13]:
      The convict sexually exploited the girl, a Class 8 student who is moderately retarded, on multiple occasions.
    • 2023 March 2, “Man sentenced to death in retrial over 2017 murder of elderly couple”, in Kyodo News‎[14], Japan, archived from the original on 2023-03-02‎[15]:
      The defense, which sought a life sentence, had argued that Yamada was mildly retarded and had committed the crime impulsively after being angered by the victims' actions and words.
    • 2023 April 26, Stacy Shi, “Mother admits manslaughter of retarded son”, in The Standard‎[16], Hong Kong, archived from the original on 2023-04-26‎[17]:
      A 49-year-old mother yesterday pleaded guilty to manslaughter when appearing in High Court after strangling her 21-year-old retarded son to death with a plastic tablecloth nearly three years ago.
  3. (psychology, sometimes offensive, dated) Specifically, having an IQ below 70. [from 19th c.]
  4. (colloquial, derogatory, offensive) Extremely stupid; obtuse [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, George Carlin, “SIGNS”, in Brain Droppings‎[18], New York: Hyperion Books, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, 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.
    • 2021 October 5, “Why anti-Zionism is a product of antisemitism.”, in The Times of Israel‎[19], archived from the original on 2021-10-05‎[20]:
      If it sounds like a bad script that a retarded child would write, it’s because it is. Yet, anti-Zionists will aggressively explain to you why this insanity makes perfect sense.
  5. (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

Translations

Verb

retarded

  1. simple past and past participle of retard
    • 1902, Arthur Conan Doyle, “Author's Preface”, in The Complete Napoleonic Stories‎[21], →OCLC, 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.

Anagrams

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

  1. retarded; having mental retardation; mentally deficient

Noun

retarded

  1. a retard
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