кретин (kretin)

//krʲɪˈtʲin//insult

What does кретин (kretin) mean? кретин (kretin) is a Russian moderate that translates to “cretin / moron” in English.

cretin

01

"cretin / moron"

Another medical-term-turned-insult, borrowed from French like its English equivalent. In Russian, it sits at roughly the same severity as 'дебил' but sounds slightly more educated — the kind of insult an academic uses when they want to call someone stupid without sounding low-class themselves.

An exasperated intellectual's insult: 'Полный кретин' (A complete cretin). Slightly posher than 'дебил.'