cretin UK /ˈkɹɛtɪn/US /ˈkɹiːtɪn/ noun2 •(offensive) An idiot.When I challenged the symbolism, tried to make the professor consider the book as a piece of realism, he regarded me as if I were an absolute cretin. He got very supercilious and condescending […] — 1969 •(no longer used) A person who fails to develop mentally and physically due to a congenital hypothyroidism. formscretins