mental retardation
nounDefinition of mental retardation
: subaverage intellectual ability equivalent to or less than an IQ of 70 that is accompanied by significant deficits in abilities (as in communication or self-care) necessary for independent daily functioning, is usually present from birth or infancy, and is manifested especially by delayed or abnormal development, by learning difficulties, and by problems in social adjustment : intellectual disability
Note: The term intellectual disability is now preferred over mental retardation especially in medical, educational, and regulatory contexts. Mental retardation is still widely used in speech and writing, though it may sometimes be considered offensive.
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Examples of mental retardation in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The White House is afflicted by mental retardation and does not know what to do,’’ Rouhani added. — Nasser Karimi, BostonGlobe.com, "Trump threatens Iran with ‘obliteration’ after country criticizes new sanctions," 25 June 2019 Headlines that exaggerate, or outright fabricate, the risks — 'Vaccines cause mental retardation! autism!' — don't help. — Redbook, "A Doctor's Plea: Please Get Your Kids Vaccinated," 21 Mar. 2012 Perry, who had previously presided over 29 death penalty cases and sentenced 12 killers to death, held several hearings and concluded that Lewis met the legal defininition of intellectual impairment, known as mental retardation in the past. — Maura Dolan, latimes.com, "California Supreme Court overturns killer's death sentence, citing intellectual disability," 24 May 2018 Mitigating circumstances: Borderline mental retardation, substantial domination by Coleman, dependent personality, general lack of aggressiveness, head trauma as a child, age at time of murder. — Tim Evans, Indianapolis Star, "Indiana death row holds 11 prisoners," 31 Jan. 2014 The suspect was Jesse Daniels, a 19-year-old neighbor who today would be described as having a developmental disability (probably some form of mental retardation). — New York Times, "How a Racist Sheriff Railroaded a Disabled Teenager and Got Off," 3 May 2018 The Star Telegram reports an order was signed on Jan. 11 by Magistrate Rainey L. Webb to be examined for mental illness and mental retardation. — Heather Leighton, Houston Chronicle, "Reports: Fort Worth man hid cameras, recorded women and kids to catch cheating wife, he told police," 25 Jan. 2018 Tony says that Peyton has been diagnosed with mental retardation, autism, and attention deficit disorder. — Jessica Pishko, Esquire, "The FBI Accused Him of Terrorism. He Couldn't Tie His Shoes.," 8 Sep. 2016These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'mental retardation.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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