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Cretin vs Heathen - What's the difference?

cretin | heathen |

As nouns the difference between cretin and heathen

is that cretin is a person who fails to develop mentally and physically due to a congenital hypothyroidism while heathen is a person who does not follow an Abrahamic religion; a pagan.

As an adjective heathen is

not adhering to an Abrahamic religion; pagan.

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)

    heathen

    English

    Adjective

    (-)
  • Not adhering to an Abrahamic religion; pagan.
  • (by extension) Uncultured; uncivilized; savage, philistine.
  • (pertaining or adhering to the Germanic neo-pagan faith Heathenry).

    • Noun

    (s)
  • A person who does not follow an Abrahamic religion; a pagan.
  • * V. Knox
    • If it is no more than a moral discourse, he may preach it and they may hear it, and yet both continue unconverted heathens .
  • (by extension) An uncultured or uncivilized person, philistine.
  • (an adherent of the Germanic neo-pagan faith of Heathenry).

    • Coordinate terms

    *

    Derived terms

    * heathendom * heathenish * heathenism * heathenize * heathenness