Definition of "cretin" [cre•tin]

• A person afflicted with cretinism. (noun)
• Slang An idiot. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The term cretin describes a person so affected, but, like such words as spastic, idiot, and lunatic, also is a word of abuse."
• "No. What makes Thomas a cretin is that he abdicates his JOB to decide whether punishments are cruel and unusual."
• "Dilan Esper: What makes Thomas a cretin is that he abdicates his JOB to decide whether punishments are cruel and unusual."