RETARD

idiot, imbecile, cretin, moron, changeling, half-wit, retard

(noun) a person of subnormal intelligence

retard

(verb) cause to move more slowly or operate at a slower rate; ā€œThis drug will retard your heart rateā€

decelerate, slow, slow down, slow up, retard

(verb) lose velocity; move more slowly; ā€œThe car deceleratedā€

check, retard, delay

(verb) slow the growth or development of; ā€œThe brain damage will retard the childā€™s language developmentā€

retard

(verb) be delayed

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

retard (plural retards)

Retardation; delay.

(music) A slowing down of the tempo; a ritardando.

(offensive, dated) A person with mental retardation.

(informal, offensive) A person or being who is extremely stupid or slow to learn.

Usage notes

Through the euphemism treadmill, the term retard (which originated as a neutral substitute for the terms that had previously designated those with disabilities, namely idiot, imbecile, and moron) has come to be considered offensive; see Wikipedia for more. In a 2003 survey by the BBC, retard was voted the most offensive word relating to disability, followed by spastic.

Synonyms

• (retardation): delay, hold-up, retardation

• (person with mental retardation): retarded, idiot, tard (offensive), imbecile (disused medical term), mental deficient (legal term), moron (disused medical term), person with learning difficulties

• (stupid person): See also fool

Verb

retard (third-person singular simple present retards, present participle retarding, simple past and past participle retarded)

(transitive) To keep delaying; to continue to hinder; to prevent from progress

Synonyms: impede, hinder, hold up

(transitive) To put off; to postpone.

(transitive, obsolete) To be slow or dilatory to perform (something).

(intransitive) To decelerate; to slow down.

(intransitive, obsolete) To stay back.

Synonyms

• (keep delaying; continue to hinder): decelerate, hinder, slow, slow down; See also hinder

• (postpone): postpone, put off; See also procrastinate

• (slow to perform): reluctant

• (decelerate): decelerate, slow, slow down, slow up

• (stay back): hang back, stay back; See also tarry

Antonyms

• (keep delaying; continue to hinder): accelerate, speed, speed up

• (postpone)

• (stay back): come forward

Anagrams

• Darter, R-rated, Trader, darter, dartre, retrad, tarred, trader

Source: Wiktionary


Re*tard", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Retarded; p. pr. & vb. n. Retarding.] Etym: [L. retardare, retardatum; pref. re- re- + tardare to make slow, to delay, fr. tardus slow: cf. F. retarder. See Tardy.]

1. To keep delaying; to continue to hinder; to prevent from progress; to render more slow in progress; to impede; to hinder; as, to retard the march of an army; to retard the motion of a ship; -- opposed to Ant: accelerate.

2. To put off; to postpone; as, to retard the attacks of old age; to retard a rupture between nations.

Syn.

– To impede; hinder; obstruct; detain; delay; procrastinate; postpone; defer.

Re*tard", v. i.

Definition: To stay back. [Obs.] Sir. T. Browne.

Re*tard", n.

Definition: Retardation; delay. Retard, or Age, of the tide, the interval between the transit of the moon at which a tide originates and the appearance of the tide itself. It is found, in general, that any particular tide is not principally due to the moon's transit immediatelly proceeding, but to a transit which has occured some time before, and which is said to correspond to it. The retard of the tide is thus distinguished from the lunitidal interval. See under Retardation. rHam. Nav. Encyc.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



RESET




Word of the Day

23 November 2024

THEORETICAL

(adjective) concerned primarily with theories or hypotheses rather than practical considerations; ā€œtheoretical scienceā€


coffee icon

Coffee Trivia

As of 2019, Starbucks opens a new store every 15 hours in China. The coffee chain has grown by 700% over the past decade.

coffee icon