retard Hear it!

retard Definition

re·tard (ri tärd′; for n. 2 rē′tärd′)

transitive verb

to hinder, delay, or slow the advance or progress of

Etymology: LME retarden < OFr retarder < L retardare < re-, back + tardare, to make slow < tardus, slow: see tardy

intransitive verb

to be delayed or undergo retardation

noun

  1. a retarding; delay
  2. Slang
    1. a retarded person: an offensive term of contempt
    2. a stupid or foolish person

retard Synonyms

retard

v.

hinder, delay, impede, slow down; see delay 1, hinder.

retard Usage Examples

Object

  • ignition: Some sources say that retarding the ignition timing a few degrees will suffice.
  • timing: Can of course fit a thicker head gasket, or retard the timing.
  • progression: There is no known way of retarding the progression of the deafness.
  • growth: The reason why cannabis retards growth is still unclear.
  • progress: At the very least, I have learned how to retard the progress of the condition.
  • force: The retarding force is caused by the compression of the air in the shock wave.

Used with why or when

  • who: The Adam Sandler fan retards who labeled the film boring were more on target than most critics.

Noun phrase with adjective complement

  • due: Vitamin E is an antioxidant which can help keep you looking younger by retarding cellular aging due to oxidation.

Modifying Another Word

  • actually: In rabbits the same technique was unsuccessful, with denudation actually retarding recovery threefold ( Buehler and Newman 1964 ).
  • also: The corticosteroid hormones which are often used to treat the kidney disease may also retard growth.
  • only: An attempt to go directly from TA to OA publishing will only retard the growth of OA for another needless decade.
  • thus: Perhaps it was the over-riding 19th century belief in Progress which did thus retard the assumptive values of the field of still photography.
  • then: Most dealers leave the combustion area alone then retard the ignition more or over jet to compensate for the over high compression.
  • thereby: It is astonishing how quickly seaweed clings to a ship's bottom and thereby retards its speed.

Preposition: than

  • minger: Logged " I suppose I would rather be a retard than a minger.
retard Quotes

If the changes we fear be thus irresistible, what remains but to acquiesce with silence, as in the other insurmountable distresses of humanity? It remains that we retard what we cannot repel, that we palliate what we cannot cure.

—Johnson, Samuel known as Dr Johnson