mental retardation

mental retardation

n.

Subnormal intellectual development as a result of congenital causes, brain injury, or disease and characterized by any of various cognitive deficiencies, including impaired learning, social, and vocational ability. Also called mental deficiency.

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mental retardation

Below-average intellectual ability resulting from a genetic defect, brain injury, or disease, and usually present from birth or early infancy.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

mental retardation - lack of normal development of intellectual capacities backwardness, subnormality, slowness, retardation stupidity - a poor ability to understand or to profit from experience mental defectiveness, abnormality - retardation sufficient to fall outside the normal range of intelligence mental deficiency, moronity - mild mental retardation amentia, idiocy - extreme mental retardation imbecility - retardation more severe than a moron but not as severe as an idiot