retarded

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Definition

  1. Adjective:

    • Having a slower rate of mental, emotional, or physical development than is typical: This term describes a condition of delayed or incomplete intellectual and adaptive development.
    • Delayed or hindered in progress or development: In a broader, often figurative sense, it can describe something that is slowed down or held back.

  2. Noun (plural: the retarded):

    • People who have an intellectual disability collectively: This term refers to a group of people with significantly impaired cognitive functioning and adaptive behavior.
Usage and Examples

  • Adjective:

    • The educational program was designed for retarded children. (This describes children with intellectual disabilities.)
    • The project's progress was retarded by constant budget cuts. (This describes something being slowed down.)

  • Noun:

    • The institution provided care for the retarded. (This refers to people with intellectual disabilities as a group.)
Important Usage Note

CRITICAL CONTEXT: The use of "retarded" as an adjective or noun to describe people with intellectual disabilities is now widely considered offensive, derogatory, and outdated. Its clinical use has been replaced by terms such as "intellectually disabled," "developmentally delayed," or "person with an intellectual disability." Using it as a casual insult is highly inappropriate. The term may still be found in older legal, medical, or historical texts, but modern usage strongly favors person-first or more precise, respectful language.

Advanced and Figurative Usage
  • In scientific or technical contexts (e.g., physics, chemistry), "retarded" can be used neutrally to mean "delayed" or "slowed," such as in "retarded growth" of crystals or "retarded potential" in electromagnetism.
  • Figuratively, it can describe processes or development:
Variants and Related Words
  • Retard (verb): To delay or slow the progress or development of something.
    • Poor nutrition can retard a child's growth.
  • Retardation (noun): The act of retarding or the condition of being retarded. Like "retarded," this term is now considered offensive when referring to people. Neutral alternatives include "developmental delay" or "intellectual disability."
  • Retardant (noun/adjective): A substance that delays or inhibits a process, especially fire.
    • The building materials are treated with a fire retardant.
Synonyms
  • Adjective (for people): mentally handicapped, simple. intellectually disabled, developmentally delayed, cognitively impaired.
  • Adjective (general delay): delayed, slowed, hindered, impeded, decelerated.
  • Verb (to retard): delay, slow (down), hinder, impede, hold back, decelerate.
Antonyms
  • Adjective: advanced, accelerated, precocious, gifted.
  • Verb: accelerate, advance, hasten, expedite.
Adjective
  1. relatively slow in mental or emotional or physical development
    • providing a secure and sometimes happy life for the retarded
Noun
  1. people collectively who are mentally retarded
    • he started a school for the retarded

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