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

The home-flipping business, which uses algorithms, is still very much in its infancy. — Anne Sraders, Fortune, "Zillow ‘Offers’ is Coming Next Year to Arizona, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Florida," 7 Aug. 2019 That field, called neuromarketing, is still in its infancy. — Sigal Samuel, Vox, "Facebook is building tech to read your mind. The ethical implications are staggering.," 5 Aug. 2019 Emerging as an alternative to France Football's Ballon d'Or in 2016, The Best FIFA Football Awards is still very much in its infancy. — SI.com, "FIFA The Best Award: 5 Biggest Omissions From This Year's Men's Player Shortlist," 1 Aug. 2019 Well-Being & Development (CCWD) at the University of Zurich and UNICEF, is in its infancy. — Annabelle Timsit, Quartz Africa, "Malawi is testing using wearables to measure kids’ well-being," 24 July 2019 Facebook snapped up Instagram — now the fastest-growing part of its business — in its infancy, and Apple bought the technology powering its ubiquitous Siri assistant. — Washington Post, "Justice Dept. puts Big Tech under the antitrust microscope," 24 July 2019 When the universe was in its infancy 13 billion years ago, stars were forming quickly, which led to the creation of the first dwarf galaxies. — Ashley Strickland, CNN, "The Milky Way gobbled up another galaxy billions of years ago, study says," 23 July 2019 Facebook snapped up Instagram — now the fastest-growing part of its business — in its infancy, and Apple bought the technology powering its ubiquitous Siri assistant. — Barbara Ortutay, Twin Cities, "Justice Dept. ratchets up antitrust scrutiny of Big Tech," 23 July 2019 Yet today George’s theories are ignored, and his remarkable body of work has been marginalized in academic economics, a discipline that was corrupted by special-interest funding while still in its infancy. — Colin Barrett, Harper's magazine, "Letters," 22 July 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

11 Aug 2019

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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