Meanings
cretin1
plural cretins
- archaicmedicineA person who fails to develop mentally and physically due to a congenital hypothyroidism.First known use 1779
- broadlyderogatoryAn idiot.
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 […]
1969, Irving Wallace, The Seven Minutes
Cretin2
- A surname.
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna person of subnormal intelligence
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinchristiānus
- Frenchcrétin“cretin, idiot”
- Englishcretin
From French crétin (“cretin, idiot”), likely from crestin, an Alpine dialectal form of chrétien, from Latin christiānus in the lost sense of “anyone in Christendom”, often with a sense of “poor fellow”. Doublet of Christian.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian крете́н
- крете́н (kretén)pejorative: an idiot
Catalan cretí, cretina
- cretíperson who fails to develop due to congenital hypothyroidism
- cretinaperson who fails to develop due to congenital hypothyroidism
- cretípejorative: an idiot
Czech kretén
- kreténperson who fails to develop due to congenital hypothyroidism
Dutch cretin
- cretinperson who fails to develop due to congenital hypothyroidism
Finnish kretiini, ääliö
- kretiiniperson who fails to develop due to congenital hypothyroidism
- ääliöpejorative: an idiot
French crétin, crétin
- crétinperson who fails to develop due to congenital hypothyroidism
- crétinpejorative: an idiot
German Kretin, Kretin
- Kretinperson who fails to develop due to congenital hypothyroidism
- Kretinpejorative: an idiot
Greek κρετίνος, κρετίνος
- κρετίνος (kretínos)person who fails to develop due to congenital hypothyroidism
- κρετίνος (kretínos)pejorative: an idiot
- ηλίθιος (ilíthios)pejorative: an idiot
Hungarian kretén, kretén
- kreténperson who fails to develop due to congenital hypothyroidism
- kreténpejorative: an idiot
Irish creitín
- creitínperson who fails to develop due to congenital hypothyroidism
Italian cretino
- cretinopejorative: an idiot
Lithuanian kretinas, kretinas
- kretinasperson who fails to develop due to congenital hypothyroidism
- kretinaspejorative: an idiot
Polish kretyn, kretyn
- kretynperson who fails to develop due to congenital hypothyroidism
- kretynpejorative: an idiot
- kretynkapejorative: an idiot
Portuguese cretino, cretino
- cretinoperson who fails to develop due to congenital hypothyroidism
- cretinopejorative: an idiot
Romanian cretin, cretină
- cretinperson who fails to develop due to congenital hypothyroidism
- cretinăperson who fails to develop due to congenital hypothyroidism
- cretinpejorative: an idiot
- cretinăpejorative: an idiot
Russian крети́н, крети́н
- крети́н (kretín)person who fails to develop due to congenital hypothyroidism
- крети́н (kretín)pejorative: an idiot
- крети́нка (kretínka)pejorative: an idiot
Slovak kritin
- kritinpejorative: an idiot
Spanish cretino, cretina
- cretinopejorative: an idiot
- cretinapejorative: an idiot
Turkish kreten
- kretenperson who fails to develop due to congenital hypothyroidism
Ukrainian крети́н, крети́н
- крети́н (kretýn)person who fails to develop due to congenital hypothyroidism
- крети́н (kretýn)pejorative: an idiot
- крети́нка (kretýnka)pejorative: an idiot
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with cretin
All rhymes →Sounds the same
Anagrams
Cite this entry
cretin. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cretin
“cretin.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cretin. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cretin,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cretin.
Source: cretin on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.