retardant

adjective

re·​tar·​dant ri-ˈtär-dᵊnt How to pronounce retardant (audio)
: serving or tending to retard
a growth-retardant substance
retardant noun

Examples of retardant in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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One consumer product, a black plastic sushi tray, contained 11,900 parts per million of the flame retardant decabromodiphenyl ether, or decaBDE for short. Sandee Lamotte, CNN Money, 5 June 2025 Ground crews attacked the right flank of the fire while an air tanker made retardant drops across the head and left flank. Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 30 May 2025 One air tanker made a retardant drop at the beginning of the incident, which slowed the spread and helped ground resources contain the fire's growth. Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 21 June 2025 Prior to their evacuation, our son sent us videos of tanker planes dropping red fire retardant overhead. Inga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for retardant

Word History

First Known Use

1642, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of retardant was in 1642

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Cite this Entry

“Retardant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/retardant. Accessed 10 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

retardant

adjective
re·​tar·​dant ri-ˈtärd-ᵊnt How to pronounce retardant (audio)
: serving or tending to retard
flame-retardant fabrics

More from Merriam-Webster on retardant

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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