infancy

noun

in·fan·cy | \ ˈin-fən(t)-sē

plural infancies

Definition of infancy

1 : early childhood

2 : a beginning or early period of existence

3 : the legal status of an infant

Examples of infancy in a Sentence

She was often sick during her infancy. a skill developed in infancy She has been a member of the church since its infancy.

Recent Examples on the Web

Minnesota traded for Cronin early in their 2017 MLS expansion season, and the nine-year veteran helped stabilize a club in its infancy, playing in 18 games before head and neck injuries curtailed his career. — Andy Greder, Twin Cities, "Darwin Quintero stars in Minnesota United’s 3-1 win over Salt Lake," 15 Sep. 2019 Here too, Pickens was a pioneer, as hedge funds were still in its infancy. — Cyrus Sanati, Fortune, "How Legendary ‘Raider’ T. Boone Pickens Changed the Oil Business—and Every Business," 14 Sep. 2019 With two wins from their opening two league fixtures, Conte appears to be handling the position well, as victories over Lecce and Cagliari have catapulted the Nerazzurri to the top of Serie A, albeit with the new season only in its infancy. — SI.com, "Inter Manager Antonio Conte Revealed as Serie A's Highest Paid Manager Ever," 11 Sep. 2019 While Medvedev and Andreescu's careers are in their infancy, the 33-year-old Nadal has been going for years. — Ravi Ubha, CNN, "Nadal edges Medvedev to win fourth US Open and 19th major, only one behind Federer," 9 Sep. 2019 Zionism, then in its infancy, rescued him, giving him a purpose—and an escape from a stiflingly dull provincial town. — The Economist, "A life of David Ben-Gurion, Israel’s founding father," 22 Aug. 2019 Jazmin Cerda, 26, a public benefits specialist at Brighton Park Neighborhood Council in Chicago, decided to opt out of benefits for her and her daughter in 2018 when the rule was still in its infancy. — Los Angeles Times, "Trump administration’s ‘public charge’ rule has chilling effect on benefits for immigrants’ children," 3 Sep. 2019 This new start is very much a work in progress in its infancy. — SI.com, "Manchester United Fans Must Have Patience With This Season's New Look Squad," 3 Sep. 2019 Still in their infancy, each subscription program has its own unique guidelines. — NBC News, "California could shut down those popular car subscription services," 27 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'infancy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near infancy

infamous crime

infamous crime against nature

Statistics for infancy

Last Updated

22 Sep 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for infancy

The first known use of infancy was in the 14th century

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More Definitions for infancy

infancy

noun

English Language Learners Definition of infancy

: the first part of a child's life : the time in your life when you are a baby

: a beginning : an early stage of development

See the full definition for infancy in the English Language Learners Dictionary

infancy

noun

in·fan·cy | \ ˈin-fən-sē

plural infancies

Kids Definition of infancy

1 : the first stage of a child's life : early childhood

2 : a beginning or early period of existence The program is in its infancy.

infancy

noun

in·fan·cy | \ ˈin-fən-sē

plural infancies

Medical Definition of infancy

1 : early childhood

2 : the legal status of an infant

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infancy

noun

in·fan·cy | \ ˈin-fən-sē

plural infancies

Legal Definition of infancy

1 : the legal status of an infant : minority

2 : the affirmative defense of lacking legal capacity (as to make a contract or commit a crime) because of being too young and especially because one's age is below an age set by statute