mental retardation

American  

[men-tl ree-tahr-dey-shuhn] / ˈmɛn tl ˌri tɑrˈdeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. Older Use. intellectual disability.

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mental retardation British  

noun

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

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mental retardation Scientific  

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

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Sensitive Note

See retarded.

Etymology

Origin of mental retardation

First recorded in 1900–15

Example Sentences

Clinicians might also be less frequently assigning other labels such as intellectual disability, formally referred to as mental retardation, some data suggest.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 14, 2025

It accused Bang and Owoc of touting their energy drink with "Super Creatine" as a "miracle drink" that can "reverse mental retardation" and help cure neurological disorders.

From Reuters • Apr. 12, 2023

The term mental retardation was often a medical diagnosis for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 26, 2021

Former Rep. Michele Bachmann even suggested that the HPV vaccine causes "mental retardation."

From Salon • Mar. 21, 2019

I told her that doctors used to use the word idiocy to refer to mental retardation, and to the brain damage that accompanied hereditary syphilis.

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot

Related Words

• impairment
• intellectual disability