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Glite Dictionary
baby buster

baby buster

7.3
A person born after the baby boom when birth rates fell
  • noun
  • /ˈbeɪbi ˈbʌstər/
  • Archaic
translation icon : baby buster
  • The term baby buster refers to people born after the postwar baby boom ended.
  • boomers and baby busters

Examples

  • Baby busters often face different economic challenges compared to previous generations.

  • Many baby busters entered the workforce during a period of economic uncertainty.

  • Unlike their baby boomer parents, baby busters often had smaller families.

  • The baby buster generation is often overlooked in discussions about demographics.

  • Many baby busters feel the pressure of an aging population.

  • Many baby busters are struggling to find affordable housing due to rising prices.

  • In the job market, baby busters are known for valuing work-life balance over job security.

Synonyms

buster
vsbaby buster
  • US
8 7.8

A person born after the baby boom generation

is the more explicit two-word term highlighting that decline
Generation X
vsbaby buster
5 3.6

People born between the early 1960s and the late 1970s who come after the baby boomers

focuses on birth during a decline in rates rather than specific dates
Gen X
vsbaby buster
  • US
4 3.9

People born between the mid-1960s and early 1980s, often in the United States and Canada

emphasizes being born as rates fell rather than exact year boundaries

Antonyms

baby boomer
63 3.5

A person born between 1946 and 1964 who grew up after World War II

Surface Forms

baby buster singular
baby busters plural

Morphology

baby + buster

The label 'baby buster' denotes a specific demographic cohort (those born after the baby boom) and depends on sociocultural knowledge of 'baby boom' and cohort-labeling rather than straightforward composition. The literal meanings of 'baby' and 'buster' do not yield the cohort sense (and may even suggest a misleading literal reading), so a B1 learner who only knows the constituents would not reliably derive the intended meaning.

Etymology

The noun baby buster comes from the phrase 'baby boom' and the word buster, which means someone who breaks or ends something. It creates an image of a generation that 'broke' the boom because birth rates fell, so baby buster means 'people born after the baby boom'.