In typicalusage,retard (pronounced/ˈɹiː.tɑːɹd/,REE-tard) is anableistslur for someone who is consideredstupid, slow to understand, or ineffective in some way as a comparison tostereotypical traits perceived in those withintellectual disability.[1] The adjectiveretarded is used in the same way, for something or someone considered very foolish or stupid.[1][2] The word is sometimescensored and referred to as theeuphemistic "r‑word" or "r‑slur".[3]
Retard was previously used as amedical term. The verb "toretard" means 'to delay or hold back', and so "retard" became known as a medical term in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to describe children withintellectual disabilities, orretarded mental development.[4] For context, until the 1960s, the termsmoron,idiot,cretin, andimbecile were all genuine, non-offensive terms used, including by psychiatrists, to refer to people with mental/intellectual disabilities and low intelligence. These words were discontinued in that form when concerns arose that theyhad developed negative meanings, with "retard" and "retarded" replacing them.[5][6] After that, the terms "handicapped" (United States) and "disabled" (United Kingdom) replaced "retard" and "retarded".Disabled is now considered a more polite term thanhandicapped in the United States as well. This trend was dubbed a "euphemism treadmill" bySteven Pinker.[7]
The wordretard dates as far back as 1426. It stems from theLatin verbretardare, meaning "to hinder" or "make slow". The English language, along with other European ones, adopted the word and used it as similar meaning, slow and delayed. In English, the word "todecelerate" would become a more common term than "to retard",[citation needed] while in others like French[8] or Catalan,[9]retard is still in common usage to mean "delay" (tard).
Retard hastransitioned from an impartial term to one that is negatively loaded. For this reason, the term is now widely considered as degrading even when used in its original context.[10]
Much like today's socially acceptable termsidiot andmoron, which are also defined as some sort of mental disability, when the termretard is being used in itspejorative form, it is usually not being directed at people with intellectual disabilities. Instead, people use the term when teasing their friends or as a general insult.[11]
In May 2025,CNN noted that the word was "surging in popularity online among some celebrities and their fans," and quotedJoe Rogan as saying, "The word ‘retarded’ is back, and it's one of the great culture victories."[12]
Despite not typically being used in official context, "mental retardation" was still written in many of the United States' laws and documents until October 5, 2010, when U.S. PresidentBarack Obama signed into effect S. 2781, also known asRosa's Law.[13] The bill changed references infederal law; the termmental retardation was replaced by mental disability. Additionally, the phrase "mentally retarded individual" was replaced with "an individual with anintellectual disability".[14] Rosa's Law was named after Rosa Marcellino, a nine-year-old girl withDown syndrome. She worked with her parents to have the words "mentally retarded" officially removed from health and education code inMaryland, her home state.[15] With this new law, "mental retardation" and "mentally retarded" no longer exist in federal health or education and labor policy. The rights of individuals with disabilities would remain the same.[13] The goal of this change in phrasing was to remove language that may be considered derogatory to communities.
