retardation

Other forms: retardations

Retardation is often used to describe problems in human mental development that result in a lack of intelligence or other kinds of physical or learning delays.

Retardation can also indicate when something is kept from growing or developing fully. A lack of sunlight might cause retardation of your tomato plants, for example, stunting their growth. You can use retardation to describe other kinds of slowness or delays too, including simply a decrease in speed. In fact, the Latin root word, retardare, means "to make slow, delay, keep back, or hinder."

Definitions of retardation

1. noun

   the act of slowing down or falling behind
   synonyms: lag, slowdown

   type of:

   delay, holdup

   the act of delaying; inactivity resulting in something being put off until a later time
2. noun

   the extent to which something is delayed or held back
   type of:

   delay, hold, postponement, time lag, wait

   time during which some action is awaited
3. noun

   a decrease in rate of change
   synonyms: deceleration, slowing

   type of:

   alteration, change, modification

   an event that occurs when something passes from one state or phase to another
4. noun

   any agent that retards or delays or hinders
   synonyms: retardant, retardent

   type of:

   agent

   an active and efficient cause; capable of producing a certain effect
5. noun

   lack of normal development of intellectual capacities
   synonyms: backwardness, mental retardation, slowness, subnormality

   types:

   abnormality, mental defectiveness

   retardation sufficient to fall outside the normal range of intelligence

   mental deficiency, moronity

   mild mental retardation

   amentia, idiocy

   extreme mental retardation

   imbecility

   retardation more severe than a moron but not as severe as an idiot

   feeblemindedness

   severe mental deficiency

   type of:

   stupidity

   a poor ability to understand or to profit from experience