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Cretin vs Imbecile - What's the difference?

cretin | imbecile |

In pejorative terms the difference between cretin and imbecile

is that cretin is an idiot while imbecile is a fool, an idiot.

As nouns the difference between cretin and imbecile

is that cretin is a person who fails to develop mentally and physically due to a congenital hypothyroidism while imbecile is a person with limited mental capacity who can perform tasks and think only like a young child, in medical circles meaning a person who lacks the capacity to develop beyond the mental age of a normal five to seven-year-old child.

As an adjective imbecile is

destitute of strength, whether of body or mind; feeble; impotent; especially, mentally weak.

cretin

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • (pathology) A person who fails to develop mentally and physically due to a congenital hypothyroidism.
  • (pejorative) An idiot.
  • * 1969 , Irving Wallace, The Seven Minutes
    • When I challenged the symbolism, tried to make the professor consider the book as a piece of realism, he regarded me as if I were an absolute cretin . He got very supercilious and condescending

    Synonyms

    * See also

    Derived terms

    * cretinism * cretinize * cretinoid * cretinous

    External links

    * (Cretinism)

    imbecile

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (obsolete) A person with limited (l) (l) who can perform (l) and think only like a young child, in medical circles meaning a person who lacks the capacity to develop beyond the mental age of a normal five to seven-year-old child.
  • (pejorative) A .

    • Usage notes

    * In modern times, “imbecile” is often used in (l) (l).

    Synonyms

    * See also

    Derived terms

    * imbecilic (adjective) * imbecility (noun)

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • (dated) Destitute of strength, whether of body or mind; feeble; impotent; especially, mentally weak.
    • hospitals for the imbecile and insane