the act of retarding or the state of being retarded something that retards; hindrance
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025
re•tar•da•tion
(rē′tär dā′shən),USA pronunciation n.
re•tard•a•tive
(ri tär′də tiv),USA pronunciation re•tard•a•to•ry
(ri tär′də tôr′ē, -tōr′ē),USA pronunciation adj.
- the act of retarding or state of being retarded.
- something that retards; hindrance.
- slowness or limitation in intellectual understanding and awareness, emotional development, academic progress, etc.
- Music and Dancea form of suspension that is resolved upward.
- Latin retardātiōn- (stem of retardātiō), equivalent. to retardāt(us) (see retard, -ate1) + -iōn- -ion
- late Middle English retardacioun 1400–50
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
re•tard /rɪˈtɑrd for 1.; ˈritɑrd for 4 in Unabridged dictionary. USA pronunciation
v. [~ + object]
n. [countable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025- to delay the development or progress of:Cold retards the growth of bacteria.
n. [countable]
- Slang Terms(disparaging).
- a mentally retarded person.
- one who is stupid or ineffective.
re•tard
(ri tärd′, for 1–3, 5; rē′tärd for 4),USA pronunciation v.t.
v.i.
n.
re•tard′ing•ly, adv.
- to make slow;
delay the development or progress of (an action, process, etc.);
hinder or impede.
v.i.
- to be delayed.
n.
- a slowing down, diminution, or hindrance, as in a machine.
- Slang Terms(disparaging).
- a mentally retarded person.
- a person who is stupid, obtuse, or ineffective in some way:a hopeless social retard.
- Automotivean adjustment made in the setting of the distributor of an internal-combustion engine so that the spark for ignition in each cylinder is generated later in the cycle. Cf. advance.
- Latin retardāre to delay, protract, equivalent. to re- re- + tardāre to loiter, be slow, derivative of tardus slow; see tardy
- 1480–90
- 1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged obstruct, check.
- 1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged accelerate.
'retardation' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Down syndrome
- amentia
- cretinism
- depressomotor
- developmental disability
- drag
- fetal alcohol syndrome
- fragile X syndrome
- galactosemia
- gargoylism
- idiot
- imbecile
- ineducable
- lag
- mental deficiency
- mental retardation
- moron
- phenylketonuria
- photocatalysis
- psychomotor retardation
- retardate
- retarded
- slow-up
- steric hindrance
- tyrosinemia
- venostasis