1. past tense and past participle of cretinise; to cause or reduce to a state of cretinism (a medical condition involving severe intellectual disability and physical stunting, historically caused by iodine deficiency)
Usage: chiefly British spelling (American: cretinized); medical/historical term; now considered outdated or offensive in modern medical contexts

Examples

• The severe iodine deficiency in the region cretinised an entire generation of children.
• Historical records showed how endemic goiter cretinised populations in mountainous areas.
• Public health campaigns were launched to prevent the condition from cretinising more children.
• The lack of iodized salt cretinised vulnerable populations in developing regions.