retarded

verb

Definition of retardednext
past tense of retard
as in slowed
to cause to move or proceed at a less rapid pace an herbicide to retard the growth of weeds

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for retarded
  1. slowed
  2. braked
Verb
  • Commercial backlog growth slowed to 12% in the first quarter, per Bloomberg, down from 21% in the fourth quarter of 2025.
    — Michael Khouw, CNBC, 24 July 2026
  • Two planes ended up on a collision course last month after an erroneous warning light slowed a takeoff and an air traffic controller got confused, according to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board.
    — Aaron Cooper, CNN Money, 23 July 2026
Definition of slowed
Verb
  • The vehicle entered the scene, then braked hard while attempting to steer away before coming to a stop, Zoox said.
    — Annie Palmer, CNBC, 17 July 2026
  • According to the arrest report, the vehicle drifted in its lane and braked repeatedly before an intersection.
    — Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 15 July 2026
Definition of braked
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

retardations
retarded
retarding
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Retarded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retarded. Accessed 27 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on retarded

Nglish: Translation of retarded for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of parochial

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Every Letter Is Silent, Sometimes: A-Z List of Examples
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 24

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
chain-question-mark
Missing Link Quiz July 2026 Five seconds to figure out the word that fits bot...
See All