Adjacent Words

Retard definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

RET'ARD, v.t. [L. retardo; re and tardo, to delay, tardus, slow, late. See Target.]
1. To diminish the velocity of motion; to hinder; to render more slow in progress; as, to retard the march of an army; to retard the motion of a ship. The resistance of air retards the velocity of a cannon ball. It is opposed to accelerate.
2. To delay; to put off; to render more late; as, to retard the attacks of old age; to retard a rupture between nations. My visit was retarded by business.
RET'ARD, v.i. To stay back. [Not in use.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a person of subnormal intelligence [syn: idiot, imbecile, cretin, moron, changeling, half-wit, retard] v
1: cause to move more slowly or operate at a slower rate; "This drug will retard your heart rate"
2: be delayed
3: slow the growth or development of; "The brain damage will retard the child's language development" [syn: check, retard, delay]
4: lose velocity; move more slowly; "The car decelerated" [syn: decelerate, slow, slow down, slow up, retard] [ant: accelerate, quicken, speed, speed up]

Merriam Webster's

I. verb Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French or Latin; Anglo-French retarder, from Latin retardare, from re- + tardus slow Date: 15th century transitive verb 1. to slow up especially by preventing or hindering advance or accomplishment ; impede 2. to delay academic progress by failure to promote intransitive verb to undergo retardation Synonyms: see delay • retarder noun II. noun Date: 1788 1. a holding back or slowing down ; retardation 2. often offensive a retarded person; also a person held to resemble a retarded person in behavior

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. & n. --v.tr. 1 make slow or late. 2 delay the progress, development, arrival, or accomplishment of. --n. retardation. Phrases and idioms: in retard delayed, in the rear. Derivatives: retardant adj. & n. retardation n. retardative adj. retardatory adj. retarder n. retardment n. Etymology: F retarder f. L retardare (as RE-, tardus slow)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Retard Re*tard", v. i. To stay back. [Obs.] --Sir. T. Browne.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Retard Re*tard", n. Retardation; delay.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Retard Re*tard", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Retarded; p. pr. & vb. n. Retarding.] [L. retardare, retardatum; pref. re- re- + tardare to make slow, to delay, fr. tardus slow: cf. F. retarder. See Tardy.] 1. To keep delaying; to continue to hinder; to prevent from progress; to render more slow in progress; to impede; to hinder; as, to retard the march of an army; to retard the motion of a ship; -- opposed to accelerate. 2. To put off; to postpone; as, to retard the attacks of old age; to retard a rupture between nations. Syn: To impede; hinder; obstruct; detain; delay; procrastinate; postpone; defer.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(retarded) 1. If something retards a process, or the development of something, it makes it happen more slowly. (FORMAL) Continuing violence will retard negotiations over the country's future. = slow down VERB: V n 2. If you describe someone as a retard, you mean that they have not developed normally, either mentally or socially. (INFORMAL, OFFENSIVE) What the hell do I want with an emotional retard? N-COUNT [disapproval]

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. a. 1. Check, obstruct, clog, impede, hinder. 2. Delay, defer, postpone, adjourn, procrastinate, put off.

Moby Thesaurus

arrest, backpedal, backwater, balk, block, bottle up, brake, bridle, check, clip the wings, confine, constrain, contain, control, cool, cool off, countercheck, curb, curtail, dam up, damp, dampen, decelerate, delay, detain, dompt, drag, draw rein, dunce, ease off, ease up, enjoin, fool, frustrate, govern, guard, hinder, hold, hold at bay, hold back, hold fast, hold in, hold in check, hold in leash, hold up, idiot, imbecile, impede, inhibit, intercept, interfere, interfere with, intermeddle, interrupt, intervene, jerk, keep, keep back, keep from, keep in, keep in check, keep under control, lag, lay under restraint, let down, let up, lose ground, lose momentum, lose speed, make late, meddle, moderate, moron, obstruct, oppose, prohibit, pull, pull in, reef, rein, rein in, relax, repress, resist, restrain, restrict, retrench, scotch, set back, slack off, slack up, slacken, slow, slow down, slow up, snub, stall, stay, stop, straiten, suppress, take in sail, throttle down, thwart, withhold