mentally deficient
Lacking intellectual capacity
Mentally deficient describes someone with below-normal intellectual capacity or cognitive ability.
The term was once clinical vocabulary but is now considered dated and offensive when applied to people with intellectual disabilities.
It persists in legal and bureaucratic contexts: The court found the defendant mentally deficient and unfit to stand trial.
Informally, it's an insult suggesting stupidity.
- special educationAdapted instruction for disabilities
- life skillsCompetencies for daily living
- sheltered workshopSupervised workplace for disabled individuals
- intellectual disabilityImpaired reasoning and adaptive skills
- developmental delaySlower-than-typical milestone achievement
slow learner · cognitive impairment · human dignity · Down syndrome · fragile X syndrome · autism spectrum disorder · disability rights · feebleminded · not all there · village idiot · social stigma · short bus · vocational training · group home · learning disability · brain injury · equality of opportunity · assistive technology
mentally deficientquick-witted
Fast at thinking
sharp · astute · perceptive · incisive · razor-sharp
mental, mentally, mentality, mind, deficient, deficiency, deficiencies, deficit, deficits