cretin

Dim-witted oaf

Cretin is an insult meaning a stupid person.

The word originated as a medical term for severe developmental disability caused by thyroid deficiency, now called congenital hypothyroidism.

That clinical sense is obsolete, and cretin survives only as an epithet: What kind of cretin parks across two spaces?

The tone ranges from contemptuous to playfully exasperated.

insult

idiot

Foolish, senseless person

  • moronWitless, dense person
  • imbecileProfoundly stupid person
  • foolUnwise, gullible person

dunce · simpleton · dolt · blockhead · numbskull · dimwit · halfwit · nitwit · bonehead · knucklehead

slur

retard

Slow or hinder

  • spasticOf involuntary muscle contractions
  • spazClumsy, excitable person
  • moronWitless, dense person

idiot · imbecile · lunatic · derogatory · offensive · pejorative · stigma · ableist · taboo · outdated

medical

hypothyroidism

Insufficient thyroid hormone production

  • goiterEnlarged thyroid gland
  • thyroidHormone-producing neck gland
  • iodineAntiseptic element, atomic fifty-three

deficiency · congenital · endemic · dwarfism · endocrinology · thyroxine · neurological · developmental · stunted · neonatal

Categories
Opposites
intelligence

cretingenius

Person of rare brilliance

intellect · intellectual · brain · sage · whiz

moral character and behavior

cretinsaint

Canonized holy person

angel · hero · heroine · idol · paragon

social refinement

cretingentleman

Courteous, honorable man

lady · sophisticate · aristocrat · cosmopolitan · blue blood

Family

cretinous, cretins, cretinism

Familiarity
Top 200,000
Profile
Used worldwide · Timeless · Negative · Everyday, not technical · Rated PG