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child

child

2.8
A person who behaves in a silly or not grown-up way
  • noun
  • /tʃaɪld/
  • Offensive
translation icon : niñato
  • Despite being an adult, she approached the situation with the naivety of a child.

But like any spoiled child, he does not know when to quit.

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Examples

  • However, because they were led by a child, the request was denied.

  • Listen in my head, just like a child, I live in Wonderland.

  • And when I got too tired, much like a child, I decided to rest.

  • If I do, I take both hands and I drink like a child, right?

  • adults think that you are a child, but you know you are not one

  • -Your sister treats you like a child.

  • And I'd hardly consider you a child.

  • "Are you sure you are not just an overgrown child?" Now Charlotte was equally angry.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Their characterization as lacking in maturity and intelligence, much like children, resonated with their legal status as minors.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Her desire had the purity and directness of a child, which made her rudeness almost endearing.

    Fiction book (1990)

Synonyms

baby
vschild
  • Offensive
487 2.8

A person who behaves in a childish way

stresses the behaviour occurs regardless of the person's age

Antonyms

1.0

A person who is fully grown and no longer a child

Idioms

with child
  • Archaic
26 6.0

Carrying a baby before birth

1 9.9

A woman who is near the time to have a baby

Compounds

116 1.9

Looking after children by someone other than their parents, often for pay

111 2.7

Money a parent must pay to the parent who cares for their children after separation to help with living costs

child abuse
  • Offensive
86 3.7

Harming children physically, emotionally or sexually, often by an adult who looks after them

24 4.8

A person who is a clear example of a cause or movement

child pornography
  • Offensive
22 7.7

Pictures or videos that show children in sexual activity and are illegal

19 3.0

A young person raised by people who are not their birth or adoptive parents

11 4.9

A child born to parents who are not married to each other

11 6.5

A child born to parents who are not married to each other

problem child
  • Informal
8 4.0

A child or project that often causes trouble and needs extra attention

flower child
  • Archaic
5 6.8

A young person, especially in the 1960s, who rejects normal values and supports peace and living simply with others

A child old enough to go to school, usually between five and fifteen years old

4 4.7

A parent or other adult who does not give a child basic care or attention

child psychology
  • Specialized
4 3.7

Study of how children feel, think, and behave with other people

3 4.4

A child who lives or works on the streets without adult care

An organization that protects children and gives help for their safety and development

A child who comes home from school to an empty house and stays alone until parents return

A child whose mother has died or is not in their life

A group that protects children and gives them social help and job training

1 3.4

A child who lives with people who are not their birth parents

9.9

A person who sexually harms children

child diddler
  • Offensive
9.9

A person who sexually abuses children

changeling child
  • Literature
9.9

A child in old stories left by fairies to replace a family's real baby

misborn child
  • Archaic
9.9

A child people think arrived with bad luck

9.9

A person who is innocent and trusts people easily

woman child
  • Informal
8.8

An adult who behaves in a very young, innocent, playful way

How Mature

adult
1.0
child
  • Offensive
2.8
baby
  • Offensive
487 2.8

Surface Forms

child singular
children plural

Etymology

Child keeps its original sense of 'young', so when we say someone is a child to mean they are immature, we are saying they behave like a young person; the related word childish makes this clear. So calling someone a child can mean they act in an immature way.