mental deficiency
1
8.4
- noun
- /ˈmɛn.təl dɪˈfɪʃ.ən.si/
- Offensive
:
retraso mental
- Many people with mental deficiency face challenges in school and social situations.
Examples
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Support services play an important role in helping individuals with mental deficiency achieve their potential.
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Miss Brown also cites Mr. Dawson's mental deficiencies, which raise serious questions about his ability to properly parent.
Fiction book (2001) -
I think Luke is taking advantage of that boy's mental deficiency.
-
It's mental deficiency in both cases.
Blog text (6) -
Anyone can see that he probably does suffer some mental deficiency, but what is anybody to do about it?
Blog text (9) -
Three, she's got serious mental deficiencies—which I can list for you.
Fiction book (1999) -
We know little of Emma Buck and her life, but we have no more reason to suspect her than her daughter Carrie of true mental deficiency.
Academic text (2002) -
An IQ score below 70 is commonly associated with mental deficiency.
Synonyms
2
6.3
A condition in which a person's thinking and learning are much below normal
1
7.4
A person who has difficulty learning or understanding new things
1
6.2
A state of not understanding things quickly
A condition of low ability to learn and think that starts in childhood
Thinking ability that is much lower than most people's and shown by standard tests
A condition in which a person has lower than usual thinking ability
A person who has difficulty thinking or learning because of a brain problem
Low mental ability to think clearly or learn
Antonyms
How Intelligent
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly derivable from 'mental' (pertaining to the mind) + 'deficiency' (a lack), so a B1 learner who knows both words would infer 'a lack of mental ability' or reduced cognitive functioning. Although the phrase has historical/clinical and sometimes stigmatizing connotations, that socio-historical aspect does not reduce its morphological compositionality.
Etymology
Mental deficiency puts together mental (the mind) and deficiency (a lack), so it creates the image of a 'lack in the mind'. It was used to mean someone with 'below average' thinking ability, but today people prefer 'intellectual disability' because mental deficiency sounds old and can be hurtful.