mental retardation

American  

[men-tl ree-tahr-dey-shuhn] / ˈmɛn tl ˌri tɑrˈdeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. Older Use. intellectual disability.

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mental retardation British  

noun

1. psychiatry the condition of having a low intelligence quotient (below 70)

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mental retardation Scientific  

1. Below-average intellectual ability resulting from a genetic defect, brain injury, or disease, and usually present from birth or early infancy.

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Sensitive Note

See retarded.

Etymology

Origin of mental retardation

First recorded in 1900–15

Example Sentences

Clinicians might also be less frequently assigning other labels such as intellectual disability, formally referred to as mental retardation, some data suggest.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 14, 2025

The term mental retardation was often a medical diagnosis for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 26, 2021

Former Rep. Michele Bachmann even suggested that the HPV vaccine causes "mental retardation."

From Salon • Mar. 21, 2019

At a 2015 court hearing, a psychologist who examined Nolen said he suffered from minor mental retardation and wanted to be executed.

From Reuters • Oct. 12, 2017

In 2002, there were about a hundred people with mental retardation facing execution when the Court banned the death penalty for people with intellectual disability.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

Related Words

• impairment
• intellectual disability