subnormal
Americanadjective
noun
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a subnormal person.
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Geometry. that part of the x-axis of a curve cut off between the ordinate and a normal.
adjective
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less than the normal
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having a low intelligence, esp having an IQ of less than 70
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of subnormal
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 judge said subnormal intelligence is just one consideration in a competency decision.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 25, 2018
He said Evans was not "subnormal", nor schizophrenic, nor epileptic.
From BBC ● Dec. 17, 2017
Many trials of vitamins and minerals are performed on the population at large instead of on a subpopulation with subnormal levels of those substances.
From Forbes ● Aug. 27, 2014
Then, Keynes said a depression was a "chronic condition of subnormal activity for a considerable period without any marked tendency towards recovery or towards complete collapse".
From The Guardian ● Feb. 24, 2013
The thermometer registered a half degree lower than his usual subnormal temperature of 96.8.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
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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.