cretinism
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of cretinism
First recorded in 1795–1800; from French crétinisme; cretin, -ism
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The late Gore Vidal explained that one of his ambitions as a historian and novelist was to determine “when the great cretinism began in the United States…when people got really dumb.”
From Salon • Jul. 21, 2024
In children, hypothyroidism can cause cretinism, which can lead to mental retardation and growth defects.
From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022
Neither cretinism, Laron syndrome nor Down's syndrome duplicate the full suite of features.
From Nature • Oct. 21, 2014
I was reduced, during her book’s final third, to puddle-eyed cretinism.
From New York Times • Mar. 27, 2012
Disorder of the thyroid produces both dwarfing cretinism, and a myxœdematous condition of the subcutaneous tissues, increasing the quantity of the jelly-like material in these, and therefore approximating some conditions found in the invertebrates.
From Degeneracy Its Causes, Signs and Results by Talbot, Eugene S.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.