infancy

noun

in·​fan·​cy ˈin-fən(t)-sē 

plural infancies

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

Wills, who studied sturgeon at the Evans’ farm, said aquaculture is still in its infancy, and has historically relied on wild broodstock to replenish genetic diversity on fish farms. —Kylie Williams, Miami Herald, 29 June 2025

What other research is being done Echo chambers have been widely studied on platforms like Twitter and Facebook, but similar research on TikTok is in its infancy. —Zicheng Cheng, The Conversation, 26 June 2025

In the 1990s, when the internet was still in its infancy, Congress passed the Internet Tax Freedom Act, temporarily barring state and local taxes on online activity. —Kristen Waggoner, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 June 2025

The royal has grown up with the world watching, from infancy to his college years and fairytale romance with Kate Middleton. —Brendan Le, People.com, 21 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing infancy

• in one's infancy

Kids Definition

infancy

noun

in·​fan·​cy ˈin-fən-sē 

plural infancies

1

: early childhood

2

: a beginning or early period of existence

Medical Definition

infancy

noun

in·​fan·​cy ˈin-fən-sē 

plural infancies

1

: early childhood

2

: the legal status of an infant

Legal Definition

infancy

noun

in·​fan·​cy ˈin-fən-sē 

plural infancies

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