retarded
/ɹiˈtɑɹdɪd/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.73 in modern English
10
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
3
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
Delayed; delayed in development, hindered; impeded.
adj
Designating a parameter of an electromagnetic field which is adjusted to account for the finite speed of radiation.
verb
simple past and past participle of retard
Example Sentences
- "This kind of plant is usually of a retarded growth."
- "The last zone, lying beyond the Ch‘ang-pai mountains, was in special isolation and culturally as retarded as regions much farther north."
- "HGH, which was originally developed to assist children with retarded growth, is believed to be especially popular with sprinters."
- "Experts in the field say there are now at least 200,000 retarded people over 60 in the United States."
- "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."
- "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."
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Italic *wre- Latin re- Proto-Indo-European *tr̥h₂-d-o- Proto-Italic *tardo- Latin tardus Latin retardōbor. Anglo-Norman retarderbor. Middle English retarden English retard English -ed English retarded From retard + -ed.
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ɹiˈtɑɹdɪd/
- British English: /ɹɪˈtɑːdɪd/
Usage
Inflected Forms
more retarded (comparative)
most retarded (superlative)