pedophilia

pe·do·phil·ia | \ ˌpe-də-ˈfi-lē-ə

How to pronounce pedophilia (audio)

, ˌpē-

How to pronounce pedophilia (audio)

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Definition of pedophilia

: sexual perversion in which children are the preferred sexual object specifically : a psychiatric disorder in which an adult has sexual fantasies about or engages in sexual acts with a prepubescent child

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Examples of pedophilia in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Demure also claimed that introducing children to drag was harmful to the gay community, which historically has had to contend with unfair accusations of pedophilia. — Nr Editors, National Review, "The Week," 23 Jan. 2020 Court filings released this week show the strange behind-the-scenes of an Elon Musk tweet that led to a defamation lawsuit—allegations of pedophilia, con men, and disappointed public relations people included. — Wired, "The Vacuum That's Not a Car and Other Transportation News This Week," 13 Oct. 2019 Bull wants to spread the rumor that Trump has been involved in a pedophilia ring. — Madeleine Schwartz, The New Yorker, "Nell Zink’s Satire Raises the Stakes," 26 Aug. 2019 The provocateur, once one of the most prominent far-right voices in the country, lost his access to major conservative platforms in early 2017 after some comments that seemed to endorse pedophilia came to light. — Zack Beauchamp, Vox, "Milo Yiannopoulos’s collapse shows that no-platforming can work," 5 Dec. 2018 Another begins with the discovery of a toilet cam mounted in a public restroom; the episode goes on to deal with pedophilia—and the discovery that the pedophile in question had a brain tumor that, her lawyer argued, was causing her behavior. — Megan Garber, The Atlantic, "Olivia Ex Machina," 2 Dec. 2019 The lawyers for Unsworth argued Musk’s tweets amounted to allegations of pedophilia. — Wired, "Elon Musk Wins in Defamation Suit by British Diver," 6 Dec. 2019 Unsworth claims Musk's tweets harmed him by associating his name with the act of pedophilia. — Kerry Flynn, CNN, "British caver suing Elon Musk gets emotional during his testimony about 'pedo guy' tweet," 5 Dec. 2019 Including episodes of bestiality and pedophilia, the author even ups the ante this time around. — Daniel Tenreiro, National Review, "The Houellebecqian Moment," 16 Nov. 2019

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

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Last Updated

6 Feb 2020

Cite this Entry

“Pedophilia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pedophilia. Accessed 19 Feb. 2020.

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