retardant

adjective

re·​tar·​dant ri-ˈtär-dᵊnt How to pronounce retardant (audio)
: serving or tending to retard
a growth-retardant substance
retardant noun

Examples of retardant in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Houses sprayed with fire retardant gel were untouched while several dozen houses nearby that went unsprayed burned to the ground. Joshua Siskin, Orange County Register, 8 Feb. 2025 An air tanker drops fire retardant at the Palisades Fire, one of simultaneous blazes that have ripped across Los Angeles County, as seen from Woodland Hills, neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, U.S. Jan. 11, 2025. Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 25 Jan. 2025 But now those aircraft are back in the air, dropping water and retardant, transporting firefighters and equipment and helping spot flare-ups. NBC News, 15 Jan. 2025 Crews are preparing for a worst-case scenario in which high winds prevent the use of firefighting aircraft from strategically dropping retardant around the fires’ perimeters. Rong-Gong Lin Ii, Los Angeles Times, 13 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for retardant

Word History

First Known Use

1642, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of retardant was in 1642

Browse Nearby Entries

Cite this Entry

“Retardant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/retardant. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

retardant

adjective
re·​tar·​dant ri-ˈtärd-ᵊnt How to pronounce retardant (audio)
: serving or tending to retard
flame-retardant fabrics

More from Merriam-Webster on retardant

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!