RETARD

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does retard mean? 

• RETARD (noun)
  The noun RETARD has 1 sense:

1. a person of subnormal intelligence

  Familiarity information: RETARD used as a noun is very rare.

• RETARD (verb)
  The verb RETARD has 4 senses:

1. cause to move more slowly or operate at a slower rate

2. be delayed

3. slow the growth or development of

4. lose velocity; move more slowly

  Familiarity information: RETARD used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• RETARD (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A person of subnormal intelligence

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

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

Hypernyms ("retard" is a kind of...):

simple; simpleton (a person lacking intelligence or common sense)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "retard"):

mongoloid (a person suffering from Down syndrome (no longer used technically in this sense, now considered offensive))

Derivation:

retard (slow the growth or development of)

• RETARD (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they retard    ... he / she / it retards   
Past simple: retarded   
Past participle: retarded   
-ing form: retarding   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Cause to move more slowly or operate at a slower rate

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Context example:

This drug will retard your heart rate

Hypernyms (to "retard" is one way to...):

decelerate; slow down (reduce the speed of)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "retard"):

deaden (lessen the momentum or velocity of)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s somebody

Derivation:

retardation (any agent that retards or delays or hinders)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Be delayed

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Hypernyms (to "retard" is one way to...):

be (have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun))

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Derivation:

retardation (the act of slowing down or falling behind)

retardation (a decrease in rate of change)

retardation (the extent to which something is delayed or held back)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Slow the growth or development of

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

check; delay; retard

Context example:

The brain damage will retard the child's language development

Hypernyms (to "retard" is one way to...):

alter; change; modify (cause to change; make different; cause a transformation)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "retard"):

dampen (check; keep in check (a fire))

delay; detain; stay (stop or halt)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

retard (a person of subnormal intelligence)

retardation (lack of normal development of intellectual capacities)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Lose velocity; move more slowly

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

decelerate; retard; slow; slow down; slow up

Context example:

The car decelerated

Hypernyms (to "retard" is one way to...):

decrease; diminish; fall; lessen (decrease in size, extent, or range)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "retard"):

slow; slow down; slow up (cause to proceed more slowly)

delay; detain; hold up (cause to be slowed down or delayed)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

retardation (the act of slowing down or falling behind)

retardation (a decrease in rate of change)

 Context examples 

As antioxidants, some flavonoids may protect lipids from oxidative damage or retard the formation of cataracts.

(Flavonoid, NCI Thesaurus)

Inhibition of FGFR1 by this agent may retard tumor cell proliferation and induce tumor cell death.

(FGF Receptor Antagonist HGS1036, NCI Thesaurus)

In combination with other antiretroviral drugs, this agent has been shown to significantly reduce HIV viral load, retarding or preventing damage to the immune system and reducing the risk of developing AIDS.

(Efavirenz, NCI Thesaurus)

Jealousy of Mr Elliot had been the retarding weight, the doubt, the torment.

(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)

They were alert and active, anxious that the work should go well, and fiercely irritable with whatever, by delay or confusion, retarded that work.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)

As an immunosuppressive agent in vivo, the active metabolite mycophenolate reversibly inhibits inosine 5'-monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH), an enzyme involved in the de novo synthesis of guanine nucleotides, thereby retarding T-cell and B-cell proliferation.

(Mycophenolate, NCI Thesaurus)

Carbovir decreases HIV viral loads, retards or prevents the damage to the immune system, and reduces the risk of developing AIDS.

(Carbovir, NCI Thesaurus)

An analytical technique used to separate a multi-component sample by applying a retarding force or gradient to a sample in a solvent stream, which drives the sample toward a thin channel wall.

(Field Flow Fractionation, NCI Thesaurus)

This agent decreases HIV viral loads, retards or prevents the damage to the immune system, and reduces the risk of developing AIDS.

(Abacavir, NCI Thesaurus)

In animals, carotenoids such as lycopene may possess antioxidant properties which may retard aging and many degenerative diseases.

(Lycopene, NCI Thesaurus)