cretin
[ kreet-n or, esp. British, kret-n ]
/ ˈkrit n or, esp. British, ˈkrɛt n /
noun
a person suffering from cretinism.
a stupid, obtuse, or mentally defective person.
RELATED WORDS
illiterate, uninformed, naive, obtuse, innocent, uneducated, oblivious, absurd, daft, foolish, half-witted, idiotic, inane, moronic, silly, sophomoric, stupid, benighted, dense, green
Nearby words
cretaceous, cretan, cretan bull, crete, cretic, cretin, cretinism, cretinize, cretonne, cretons, creuse
Origin of cretin
1770–80; < French; Franco-Provençal creitin, crestin human being, literally, Christian (hence one who is human despite deformities)
Related forms
cre·ti·noid, adjectivecre·tin·ous, adjectivesem·i·cre·tin, nounDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for cretinous
One editor at National Review—a friend of 30 years—emailed me that he thought my opinions “cretinous.”
Of these cretinous calumnies, there were hundreds afloat for years on end.
Charles Bradlaugh: a Record of His Life and Work, Volume II (of 2)|Hypatia Bradlaugh Bonner and J. M. (John Mackinnon) Robertson
British Dictionary definitions for cretinous
cretin
/ (ˈkrɛtɪn) /
noun
old-fashioned a person afflicted with cretinism
offensive a person considered to be extremely stupid
Derived Forms
cretinoid, adjectivecretinous, adjectiveWord Origin for cretin
C18: from French crétin, from Swiss French crestin, from Latin Chrīstiānus Christian, alluding to the humanity of such people, despite their handicaps
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Medicine definitions for cretinous
cretin
[ krēt′n ]
n.
A person afflicted with cretinism.
Related forms
cre′tin•oid′ (-oid′) adj.cre′tin•ous (-əs) adj.The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
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