crétin
/kʁe.tɛ̃/masculine
The French word for moron is crétin. If unsure, use crétin. Wiktionary also lists attardé and demeuré.
Meaning: psychology, dated: person of mild mental subnormality (noun)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| crétin | /kʁe.tɛ̃/ | masculine |
| attardé | /a.taʁ.de/ | |
| demeuré | /də.mœ.ʁe/ | masculine |
While originally a medical term, crétin is now used primarily as a common insult for someone perceived as stupid. It was used in psychology for a person of mild mental subnormality, which is now dated.
Which one should you use?
While crétin is a common insult, attardé carries a more clinical and highly offensive connotation regarding developmental delay. Other informal alternatives include débile (dim-witted or simple-minded) and abruti (dimwit or blockhead).
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine form is crétin. To refer to a female moron, use the feminine form crétine.
How do you pronounce it?
/kʁe.tɛ̃/. It has 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- The word crétin is likely a linguistic doublet of chrétien, meaning 'Christian'.
Examples in context
- C'est un crétin absolu.He's a total moron.This sentence shows how to use crétin to describe someone as a total moron.Tatoeba #2417332 by sacredceltic, translation #2397915 by Hybrid
- Apprends à conduire, crétin.Learn how to drive, you moron.This sentence demonstrates using crétin as a direct insult when telling someone to learn how to drive.Tatoeba #7744717 by lbdx, translation #5732842 by CM
- Ne sois pas un con en conduisant trop vite !Don't be a moron by driving too fast!
- Quel crétin, il a encore tout cassé.What a moron, he broke everything again.
Example conversation
Manon and Gabriel are watching a clumsy person at a park.
- ManonRegarde ce crétin qui court partout.Look at that moron running everywhere.
- GabrielIl est vraiment stupide, ce garçon.That boy is really stupid.
- ManonIl va finir par tomber.He is going to fall eventually.
- GabrielC'est certain, il est très imprudent.That's certain, he is very reckless.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “moron” translations and entries crétin, attardé, demeuré, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries crétin, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
