Meaning & use
Retarding
Last updated
Slowing down the progress, development, or rate of something.
See it in a sentence
The chemical additive works by retarding the growth of mold on bread.
Heavy regulation was blamed for retarding investment in the industry.
A note on using this word
From Latin retardare, 'to make slow.' This formal sense of simply slowing down a process is distinct from, and unrelated to, any use of 'retard' as a slur, which is offensive and should be avoided.
Words with a similar meaning
delayinghindering
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
acceleratinghastening
Make it your own
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