Log in or Sign up

Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. v. To cause to move or proceed slowly; delay or impede.
  2. v. To be delayed.
  3. n. A slowing down or hindering of progress; a delay.
  4. n. Music A slackening of tempo.
  5. n. Offensive Slang Used as a disparaging term for a mentally retarded person.
  6. n. Offensive Slang A person considered to be foolish or socially inept.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. To make slow or slower; obstruct in motion or progress; delay; impede; clog; hinder.
  2. To defer; postpone; put off.
  3. Synonyms To detain, delay.
  4. To be delayed or later than usual.
  5. n. Retardation.

Wiktionary

  1. n. retardation; delay.
  2. n. a person with mental retardation
  3. n. a stupid person, or one who is slow to learn
  4. v. To keep delaying; to continue to hinder; to prevent from progress; to render more slow in progress; to impede; to hinder
  5. v. To put off; to postpone.
  6. v. To be slow or dilatory to perform (something).
  7. v. To decelerate; to slow down.
  8. v. To stay back.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. v. To keep delaying; to continue to hinder; to prevent from progress; to render more slow in progress; to impede; to hinder; ; -- opposed to accelerate.
  2. v. To put off; to postpone
  3. v. To stay back.
  4. n. Retardation; delay.
  5. n. A mentally retarded person.
  6. n. a person who is stupid or inept, especially in social situations.

WordNet 3.0

  1. v. lose velocity; move more slowly
  2. n. a person of subnormal intelligence
  3. v. cause to move more slowly or operate at a slower rate
  4. v. be delayed
  5. v. slow the growth or development of

Etymologies

  1. Middle English retarden, from Old French retarder, from Latin retardāre : re-, re- + tardāre, to delay (from tardus, slow).Short for retarded.

Examples

Show 10 more examples...

Lists

These user-created lists contain the word ‘retard’.

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • higgurl91 Being called a retard is not nice at all... Jan 15, 2010

  • reesetee We wish we were as clever as owls. Mar 25, 2009

  • lea I hate to be politically incorrect and insult birds. Mar 25, 2009

  • oroboros RETARD - (verb) - To stop working.
    Usage: "My grampaw retard at age 65." Apr 8, 2008

  • pomegranate A widely used word in the sixties but very much a politically-incorrect insult today. I also like its short form - "tard". Dec 4, 2007

  • krullulon who doesn't like the word "retard"? it's universally beloved. Dec 9, 2006

‘retard’ has been looked up 1647 times, added to 24 lists, commented on 6 times, and has a Scrabble score of 7.