baby 1 of 3

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2
3
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as in complainer
a person who makes frequent complaints usually about little things don't be such a baby—the shot didn't hurt that much

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

baby

2 of 3

verb

baby

3 of 3

adjective

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb baby contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of baby are humor, indulge, mollycoddle, pamper, and spoil. While all these words mean "to show undue favor to a person's desires and feelings," baby suggests excessive care, attention, or solicitude.

babying students by grading too easily

When might humor be a better fit than baby?

The synonyms humor and baby are sometimes interchangeable, but humor stresses a yielding to a person's moods or whims.

humored him by letting him tell the story

When can indulge be used instead of baby?

The words indulge and baby can be used in similar contexts, but indulge implies excessive compliance and weakness in gratifying another's or one's own desires.

indulged myself with food at the slightest excuse

Where would mollycoddle be a reasonable alternative to baby?

The words mollycoddle and baby are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, mollycoddle suggests an excessive degree of care and attention to another's health or welfare.

refused to mollycoddle her malingering son

In what contexts can pamper take the place of baby?

In some situations, the words pamper and baby are roughly equivalent. However, pamper implies inordinate gratification of desire for luxury and comfort with consequent enervating effect.

pampered by the amenities of modern living

When would spoil be a good substitute for baby?

The meanings of spoil and baby largely overlap; however, spoil stresses the injurious effects on character by indulging or pampering.

foolish parents spoil their children

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of baby
Verb
Separately, to protect infants from severe RSV, immunizations can be given to mothers during pregnancy or to babies after birth as an antibody shot. Jacqueline Howard, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2025 Snap a selfie with a miniature Highland baby cow. Caroline Ritzie, Cincinnati Enquirer, 15 Oct. 2025
Adjective
However, some have criticized employer techniques for tracking in-office attendance as babying employees and demonstrating an unwarranted lack of trust. Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 8 Aug. 2025 Be babied by him with back rubs, head scratches and order fast food for dinner. Emily St. Martin, Oc Register, 9 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for baby
Recent Examples of Synonyms for baby
Noun
  • About 1,300 people from around the world -- ranging from children as young as 12 years old to elite athletes -- participated in the race.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 17 Oct. 2025
  • Hestrin said the child is bedridden and has cerebral palsy as a result of the abuse.
    Madeline Morrison, NBC news, 17 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Besides religion, what are other possible reasons a person might have executed a forgery?
    JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 16 Oct. 2025
  • For more than 40 years, the person responsible for the brutal rape and murder of a 16-year-old girl on Long Island has eluded capture.
    Lauren del Valle, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Tisch credits BoxGroup’s unwavering approach with his firm’s enduring success.
    Leo Schwartz, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2025
  • Google rival OpenAI has seen success (at least in terms of popularity) with its Sora AI video app and the new Sora 2 model powering it.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 21 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The faculty experience has been that administrations often side with the complainers.
    Louis Menand, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2025
  • Recognize Quieter Customers Celebrate the non-complainers.
    Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Their sons were 13 months and 1 month old at the time, and Federline asked her not to go home and nurse them.
    Martha Ross, Mercury News, 16 Oct. 2025
  • These migrants became figures left in a historical stasis, unable to face their present while nursing traumatic loss (their nostalgic literature constitutes an entire genre).
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Social media is also full of ideas from people taking this oversized pie and turning it into any number of other desserts, from mini individual pies (with the use of a biscuit cutter) to layered trifles that are highly impressive and visually stunning.
    Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 20 Oct. 2025
  • Tamera Mowry is seasonally dressed in a cream jacket paired with a brown mini skirt and knee boots while stepping out of her hotel in New York.
    Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 20 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • That's when Hausman, with an infant to care for, was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic melanoma.
    Madeline Mitchell, USA Today, 18 Oct. 2025
  • MedGlobal cared for one infant, Rafeef, who weighed just four pounds at birth.
    Clayton Dalton, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Jones was chosen from among seven applicants -- six men and one woman -- living in Zone 4.
    Edward McKinnon, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2025
  • By the mid-1970s, women spent much less time cooking, and men picked up little of the slack.
    Alice Callahan, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Baby.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/baby. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.

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