retard
Hinder the progress
Retard as a verb means to slow down or delay: Cold weather retards plant growth.
The drug retards the progression of the disease.
This sense remains standard in technical and formal writing.
As a noun, retard was once a clinical term for a person with intellectual disabilities, but it became a schoolyard insult meaning stupid person and is now considered a slur—offensive to people with disabilities and those who care about them.
The word's journey from medical term to casual insult to condemned slur mirrors similar trajectories for terms like moron, idiot, and imbecile, all once clinical.
Obstruct or delay
- obstructBlock or hinder passage
- hamperObstruct or clothes basket
- inhibitTo restrain or hinder
- stifleSuppress or restrain
thwart · restrain · restrict · curtail · brake · encumber · block · check
Reduce velocity
- sluggishSlow and inactive
- lethargicLacking energy or alertness
- torpidInactive and slow
- languidWeak and without vigor
crawl · lag · plod · trudge · slacken · brake · damper · slowdown
Delay to later time
- deferDelay or submit
- delayEnforced waiting period
- stallEnclosed compartment or delay
- suspendHalt or hang temporarily
adjourn · protract · detain · holdup · pause · moratorium · hiatus · intermission
Bias against disabled individuals
- slurInsulting group label
- pejorativeTerm expressing disapproval
- derogatoryExpressing criticism or disrespect
- offensiveCausing displeasure or attack-oriented
disrespectful · insult · discrimination · stigma · taboo · inappropriate · prejudice · bigotry
hinder
Obstruct or delay
stifle · thwart · restrain · restrict · curtail · brake · encumber · block · check · constrain
decelerate
Reduce velocity
languid · crawl · lag · plod · trudge · slacken · brake · damper · slowdown
postpone
Delay to later time
suspend · adjourn · protract · detain · holdup · pause · moratorium · hiatus · intermission · respite
ableism
Bias against disabled individuals
- slurInsulting group label
- pejorativeTerm expressing disapproval
- derogatoryExpressing criticism or disrespect
offensive · disrespectful · insult · discrimination · stigma · taboo · inappropriate · prejudice · bigotry · mockery
- Bread Bakingbread flour, yeast, dough, knead, kneading
- obstructblock, halt, stop, impede, hinder
- livraisonexpedition, envoi, entrepot, depot, express
- valvetraincamshaft, camshafts, valve, rocker arm, rocker arms
- deterioratedecay, rot, deteriorate, decompose, corrode
- restrainhold back, suppress, hold in, keep in, keep down
- fire retardantSubstance that inhibits ignition
- flame retardantSubstance inhibiting ignition
- mental retardationImpaired cognitive development
- mentally retardedSeverely limited cognitive function
- fire retardant foamFlame-quenching aerated substance