cretin: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
Low (due to offensiveness)Taboo/Offensive (when referring to a person); formal/technical (when referring to the historical medical condition).
Quick answer
What does “cretin” mean?
A person who is stupid, insensitive, or slow-witted.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A person who is stupid, insensitive, or slow-witted.
Historically, a person suffering from cretinism, a congenital thyroid deficiency causing physical deformity and intellectual disability. In modern, highly offensive use, a term of severe abuse for someone perceived as profoundly foolish or ignorant.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant differences in meaning or offensiveness. Understood as a severe insult in both varieties.
Connotations
Equally offensive and archaic in both. Conveys contempt and a suggestion of profound stupidity or subhuman qualities.
Frequency
Very rare in polite discourse in both regions. More likely found in older literature, historical texts, or deliberately shocking/aggressive speech.
Grammar
How to Use “cretin” in a Sentence
You + [be] + (a) cretinWhat a cretin!He/She + [be] + (a) cretinVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “cretin” in a Sentence
adjective
British English
- (Non-standard/rare) 'That was a cretinous thing to do.'
American English
- (Non-standard/rare) 'He has a cretinous disregard for safety.'
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Unacceptable. Would constitute grossly unprofessional language.
Academic
Only in historical/medical contexts discussing the obsolete condition 'cretinism'. Otherwise unacceptable.
Everyday
Taboo/Offensive. Highly likely to cause offence and conflict.
Technical
Obsolete in modern medicine (replaced by terms like 'congenital hypothyroidism').
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “cretin”
- Misspelling as 'creetin' or 'crettin'.
- Using it in a joking manner without understanding its severity.
- Confusing it with 'cretin' as a possible adjective (it is almost exclusively a noun).
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, it is considered a highly offensive term of abuse, not merely a mild insult like 'fool'.
It comes from the French 'crétin', from the Swiss French dialect word 'crestin' (Christian), used to emphasize the humanity of people with the condition, implying they were still human beings despite their disability.
Extremely inadvisable. Due to its origins as a term for a person with a disability, it is widely considered a slur. Even in jest, it can be deeply offensive.
The adjective is 'cretinous', as in 'a cretinous remark'. It carries the same offensive weight as the noun.
A person who is stupid, insensitive, or slow-witted.
Cretin is usually taboo/offensive (when referring to a person); formal/technical (when referring to the historical medical condition). in register.
Cretin: in British English it is pronounced /ˈkrɛt.ɪn/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈkriː.t̬ən/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Not fit to manage a cretin's tea-party (archaic, implying extreme incompetence)”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of 'crete' as in the island, plus 'in' – imagine someone being foolishly lost 'in Crete' and acting stupidly. (Note: etymology is unrelated).
Conceptual Metaphor
STUPIDITY IS A PHYSICAL/CONGENITAL DEFECT.
Practice
Quiz
In which context might the word 'cretin' be used without causing offence?