subnormal

[ suhb-nawr-muhl ]
See synonyms for subnormal on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. below the normal; less than or inferior to the normal: a subnormal amount of rain.

  2. being less than average in any psychological trait, as intelligence, personality, or emotional adjustment.

noun
  1. a subnormal person.

  2. Geometry. that part of the x-axis of a curve cut off between the ordinate and a normal.

Origin of subnormal

1
First recorded in 1700–10; sub- + normal

Other words from subnormal

  • sub·nor·mal·i·ty, noun

Words that may be confused with subnormal

Words Nearby subnormal

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use subnormal in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for subnormal

subnormal

/ (sʌbˈnɔːməl) /


adjective
  1. less than the normal

  2. having a low intelligence, esp having an IQ of less than 70

noun
  1. a subnormal person

Derived forms of subnormal

  • subnormality (ˌsʌbnɔːˈmælɪtɪ), noun
  • subnormally, adverb

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