cretin
cretin Lexical Profile
cretin Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A foolish, obtuse, or obnoxious person (used as an informal, derogatory term of abuse).
"He muttered under his breath about the inconsiderate cretin who had parked across two spaces."
A person affected by severe congenital hypothyroidism (cretinism), resulting in stunted physical and mental growth (dated and now offensive in clinical usage).
"Eighteenth-century physicians in the Swiss Alps observed that the condition affecting local cretins was linked to regional dietary deficiencies."
Word Nuance & Usage
Because of its derogatory use as an insult, 'cretin' is now considered outdated and offensive in medical contexts, where the clinical term 'congenital iodine deficiency syndrome' or 'congenital hypothyroidism' is used instead.
• Rhymes for cretin
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 18th century from French crétin, from a Swiss alpine dialect form of Chrétien ('Christian'), originally used as a compassionate reminder that people affected by severe congenital iodine deficiency were human beings deserving of kindness.