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to retard

to retard

26 8.4
To make something happen more slowly
  • verb
  • /rɪˈtɑrd/
translation icon : retrasar
  • Regular exercise can help to retard the progression of certain diseases and improve overall health.
  • retard growth
  • retard development
  • retard assimilation

But in addition to that, slows down your metabolism and then retards, slows down your testosterone production.

Examples

  • The role of public funding has been crucial in facilitating or retarding the growth of private institutions.

    Academic text (1992)
  • Perhaps there is a way to prevent or retard this process from beginning in the first place.

    Academic text (2008)
  • You may enhance it, you may retard its destruction, you may retard its loss or limit its loss.

  • And that essentially is a feedback process that acts to retard the population growth.

  • Your lack of educational background is gonna forever retard your movement up the UMart ladder.

  • Organic carbon contained in compost helps to retard chemical migration in soil.

    Academic text (1997)
  • Some fear that it will retard the economy's long-term growth prospects.

    Academic text (1996)
  • Indeed, illegitimacy has played a role in retarding improved prenatal care.

    Academic text (1991)
  • The lack of participation constricts discussion and retards the decision-making process.

    Academic text (2003)
  • Boiling the water removes chlorine and retards deadly mold growth.

    Academic text (1999)

Synonyms

to slow
vsto retard
957 1.0

Make something move or happen at a lower speed

is broader and means reduce the rate of development or progress
to slow down
vsto retard
687 1.4

To move or act more slowly

often means to reduce the rate of development or progress
to delay
vsto retard
562 1.4

To make something happen later than planned

focuses on reducing the rate of progress rather than only postponing timing
to check
vsto retard
104 3.7

Stop something from growing or spreading

usually refers to limiting rate rather than completely stopping it
to hinder
vsto retard
75 3.6

To make it difficult for people or things to do something

often acts by lowering the rate of development rather than only causing difficulty
to impede
vsto retard
35 6.5

To slow the progress or movement of people and things

usually means to reduce pace rather than fully block advancement
to stymy
vsto retard
20 8.7

To stop someone from making progress toward a goal

tends to mean cause a general reduction in development speed
to decelerate
vsto retard
10 5.5

To slow down

is more general, applying to reducing the rate of development or other processes
to slow up
vsto retard
8 2.7

Move or make something move less quickly

emphasizes making progress take longer rather than stopping it
to stymie
vsto retard
5 8.0

To stop or slow progress

is often used when causing reduced progress rather than total prevention
to handicap
vsto retard
2 4.9

To make it harder for someone to do something because of injury or illness

often implies lowering the speed of progress rather than lasting inability
to bottleneck
vsto retard
2 6.0

To become narrow and slow progress

is more general, referring to reducing rate across a process

Antonyms

to accelerate
  • Specialized
331 3.7

To move faster or make something happen faster

12 4.6

Make something happen sooner

How Delayed

to halt
206 2.4
to impede
35 6.5
to hamper
47 4.2
to retard
26 8.4
to delay
562 1.4
to slow
957 1.0

Surface Forms

retard infinitive
retarded past
retarded past participle
retarding present participle
retards third person singular

Morphology

retard = re + tard

Although historically analyzable as re- + a root meaning 'slow', the root 'tard' is not a productive standalone English word and the prefix does not carry a straightforward 'again' meaning here, so learners cannot reliably infer the verb meaning from its parts.

Etymology

The word retard comes from two Latin parts, re- ('back') and tardus ('slow'), and it shares the same root as the simple English word tardy. So, to retard something is to hold it 'back' or to make it 'slow'.