cretin

noun

cre·​tin ˈkrē-tᵊn 

1

often offensive : one afflicted with cretinism

2

informal : a stupid, vulgar, or insensitive person : clod, lout

… they started doing stupid boy stuff, like trying to untie our straps and pour sand down our bathing suits. Really, guys were such cretins sometimes.

—Marilyn Reynolds

cretinous

ˈkrē-tᵊn-əs 

adjective

Did you know?

Chronic iodine deficiencies in diet can result in malfunctions of the thyroid gland, the gland that produces hormones necessary for normal human development. Some mountainous regions, such as parts of the Alps, do not naturally provide their inhabitants with a diet rich enough in iodine, and the resultant hypothyroidism causes stunted growth and mental retardation. In Franco-Provençal (the Romance speech of French Switzerland and adjacent areas of France), a person affected by hypothyroidism was called a cretin, literally, “wretch, innocent victim,” The word meant simply “Christian” and emphasized the hypothyroid victim's basic humanity.

Synonyms

• bastard
• beast
• bleeder [British]
• blighter [chiefly British]
• boor
• bounder
• bugger
• buzzard
• cad
• chuff
• churl
• clown
• creep
• crud [slang]
• crumb [slang]
• cur
• dirtbag [slang]
• dog
• fink
• heel
• hound
• jerk
• joker
• louse
• lout
• pill
• rat
• rat fink
• reptile
• rotter
• schmuck [slang]
• scum
• scumbag [slang]
• scuzzball [slang]
• skunk
• sleaze
• sleazebag [slang]
• sleazeball [slang]
• slime
• slimeball [slang]
• slob
• snake
• so-and-so
• sod [chiefly British]
• stinkard
• stinker
• swine
• toad
• varmint
• vermin

Examples of cretin in a Sentence

the captain finally had to deal with the cretin in the back of the plane

in discussions anyone who disagrees with her is inevitably called a cretin

Recent Examples on the Web

In Abercrombie’s fiction, the shining hero on horseback may be the most wretched cretin of them all, while the dandy of a prince, despised by his own people, is the one person with real courage and decency. —Erik Kain, Forbes, 6 Sep. 2021

But the good things Huff did 10 years ago don’t give him a lifetime pass to be a cretin. —Nancy Armour, USA TODAY, 18 Feb. 2020

There are the buck-passers, cretins who are content to simply stand up, find another table, and pass their misfortune on to some other unsuspecting soul. —Amiel Stanek, Bon Appétit, 26 Aug. 2019

Law's take on the royal cretin Vortigern ranges from very evil to very, very evil. —John Serba | [e-mail], NOLA.com, 12 May 2017

Word History

Etymology

French crétin, from French dialect cretin, literally, wretch, innocent victim, from Latin christianus Christian

First Known Use

1775, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

cretin

noun

cre·​tin ˈkrēt-ᵊn 

1

often offensive : one having cretinism

2

informal : dolt

Medical Definition

cretin

noun

cre·​tin ˈkrēt-ᵊn 

dated + now offensive

: one affected with cretinism

cretinous

-ᵊn-əs 

adjective