mental retardation

[ men-tl ree-tahr-dey-shuhn ]

noun

1. Older Use. intellectual disability.

mental retardation

noun

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

mental retardation

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

Sensitive Note

See retarded.

Word History and Origins

Origin of mental retardation¹

First recorded in 1900–15

Related Words

• impairment
• intellectual disability