cretin

[ kreet-nor, especially British, kret-n ]

noun

1. (no longer in technical use) a person with cretinism.
2. Informal. a very stupid or contemptible person.

cretin

/ ˈkrɛtɪn /

noun

1. old-fashioned.
   a person afflicted with cretinism
2. offensive.
   a person considered to be extremely stupid

Derived Forms

• ˈcretinˌoid, adjective
• ˈcretinous, adjective

Other Words From

• cre·ti·noid adjective
• cre·tin·ous adjective
• sem·i·cre·tin noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of cretin¹

First recorded in 1770–80; from French crétin, originally from French Alpine dialect creitin, crestin “deformed and mentally defective dwarf” (owing to iodine deficiency in Alpine regions); further origin uncertain; perhaps from Vulgar Latin Christiānus “a Christian, human being, unfortunate person,” from Latin Christiānus Christian

Word History and Origins

Origin of cretin¹

C18: from French crétin, from Swiss French crestin, from Latin Chrīstiānus Christian , alluding to the humanity of such people, despite their handicaps

Example Sentences

James Corden famously was banned for a day from Balthazar, a high-end French restaurant in New York City, until he “apologized profusely” to the owner — who had previously called him “a tiny Cretin of a man.”

From Los Angeles Times

For years leading Democrats have danced around a truly blunt assessment of Trump without ever coming out and saying it directly: the man is an evil, amoral cretin willing to betray those closest to him without a second thought.

From Slate

The vehicles were stopped near the intersection of Cretin and Marshall avenues when Tschida arrived.

From Seattle Times

It happened near the intersection of Cretin and Marshall avenues around 2 p.m., the St. Paul Police Department said in a tweet on its official account on X, formerly known as Twitter.

From Seattle Times

"Why do you sacrifice your dignity for this cretin?"

From Salon